The Rural Voice, 2004-08, Page 19farmers had formed the first Junior
Farmers' Improvement Association.
The Department of Agriculture
had listened to some graduates of
such short courses across Ontario and
to ag reps like Steckley and was
officially encouraging the formation
of clubs and organizations in the
different counties. By March, there
was another association in Strathroy
in Middlesex County and the growth
spurt was on. By the end of 1915
there were 32 association with 945
members and by the end of 1924,
122 associations with 3,100
members.
The new provincial association
set leadership training as one
of its goals and in 1946 and
1947 a series of seven leadership
training schools were held across the
province, including one in
Palmerston.
A travel exchange program was
set up in 1945. In 1947 the
Department of Agriculture set up a
provincial leadership camp with a
first class of 70, the vanguard of
hundreds to follow over the years.
Ball remembers that there was a
huge competition in each county to
be chosen to attend the leadership
camp. Considering that his home
county had seven clubs with 600
members at the organization's height,
that meant a lot of people seeking the
limited opportunity to attend the
camp.
But leadership came in other
ways, Nairn recalls. When he was
involved with the South Perth Junior
Farmers the group was doing a lot of
community betterment, everything
from collecting food and clothing for
the Salvation Army to helping with
the St. Marys and Kirkton fairs.
When you're organizing community
betterment projects you don't realize
at the time the skills you're learning
that will help you in years to come,
Nairn says.
And Junior Farmers learned many
skills, all in the name of having fun.
There were debating competitions,
and amateur theatre competitions.
CKNX and CFPL television in the
late 1950s hosted competitions
between different clubs. There were
field days and square dancing
competitions and choirs and tug 'o
war teams.
In 1968 Junior Farmers raised
money to build a dormitory at the
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