The Rural Voice, 1999-05, Page 26Fony ycars ago they were
too old to be Junior
Farmers any more.
Today, many are too old to
even be farmers at all, but
they're still meeting once a
month to discuss issues and
enjoy each other's company.
The Sydenham and St.
Vincent Farmers' Club marked
it's 40th anniversary April 8.
welcoming friends and former
members to a meeting at
Woodford United Church.
Still meeting after
all these years
40 years ago a group of young people
became too old for Junior Farmers so they
formed their own Farmers' Club — and
they're still going.
Story and photos hV Keith Roulston
Back in 1959 several Junior
Farmers and Junior Institute
members in the two townships east
of Owen Sound were becoming too
old to continue their membership in
the clubs. In addition, many of the
group had married and some had
started their families. Still, Elliott
Greig remembers, they wanted a way
of continuing the same educational
and social benefits they had enjoyed
through the Junior Farmers
movement.
The late Grant Sweiger, who at
the time was assistant Ag Rep for
Grey County (he later became Ag
Rep), worked with Glynn Waterton
and Elliott Greig to organize the
Sydenham and St. Vincent Young
Farmers' Club. The club began early
in 1959 with 40 members.
In the early years the club
continued the Junior Farmers/Junior
Institute tradition of having separate
meetings for the men and women.
After the meetings both groups
would get together for a social hour.
Elliott Greig, above, cuts the cake
for the Club's 40th anniversary. The
club members (below) gathered in
Woodford to mark the event.
The group originally met at
the Woodford Community
Centre which they rented for
$5. Club activities were
supported by a membership fee.
Later the membership was
dropped in favour of a donation
at each meeting to defray
expenses. The meetings, when
hall rental costs rose, were held
in three churches in the arca. As
they grew older the group also
dropped the "Young" from the
namc.
Over the years more than 400
speakers brought information on a
wide variety of topics. At the
beginning, continuing the Junior
Farmer tradition, many of these
speakers had practical advice to
impart. In a poem she created to
mark the group's anniversary, Myrna
Hewitson noted speakers dealt with
everything from cutting up and
identifying parts of a half -pig,
through information on soils,
fertilizers, seeds and weed control, to
livestock diseases and animal health.
The women, in their part of the
meeting, learned about nutrition,
home decorating, making crafts,
sewing, leatherwork and family
health issues.
Mac Bolton had begun his career
with the Department of Agriculture
in 1958 as Assistant Ag Rep in Grey
and remembers the big emphasis at
the time was on farm management
activities. He visited many of the
Farmers' Club members in their
homes to help them set up their
22 THE RURAL VOICE