The Rural Voice, 1995-02, Page 3R.V.
Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crop extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Neil McCutcheon, farmer, Grey Cty.
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Adrian Vos, Giscle Ireland, Cathy
Laird, Wayne Kelly, Sarah Borowski,
Mary Lou Weiser -Hamilton, June
Flath, Ian Wylie-Toal, Susan Glover,
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Darene
Yavorsky, Peter Baltensperger, Sandra
Orr, Yvonne Reynolds, Carl L. Bedal
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising representative:
Anna Vander Heyden
production co-ordinator:
Anne Harrison
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
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Behind the Scenes
Leaders are made, not born
Once again it's the time of year to
take stock of some of the leaders in
agriculture in our readership area. For
the second year we asked our readers
to tell us about some of the people
who should be recognized for their
leadership roles in agriculture and the
rural community. From those
nominations we chose 10 women and
10 men as examples of the kind of
leadership that helps keep the
community vital.
You've heard it said before: "The
same people do everything". Some-
times this is meant as a compliment,
as in "if you want something done,
pick a busy person". Too often it's a
complaint, a grouching remark in the
coffee shop or some other area of
gossip swapping, a sense that a few
people monopolize the positions of
power. Not that the complainers are
usually ready to volunteer for
leadership positions themselves;
usually they want nothing to do with
going to meetings and making
decisions. Complaining is more fun.
Where would we be without those
people who are willing to take the
time and make the effort to lead farm
and community organizations?
There's no doubt that without the
rural tradition of volunteerism our
rural communities would not have the
services we now enjoy, from
churches to arenas to hospitals.
Without the strength of numbers in
farmers joining together in farm
organizations, farmers would have
even less political clout than they do.
The whole community benefits
because of the efforts of the few who
are leaders.
But the people who sit back and
don't become leaders lose out.
Despite the tiring, sometimes
thankless, tasks they undertake on
behalf of us all, the leaders often reap
personal rewards. As one of the
leaders we interviewed noted, since
she got involved in off -farm
leadership activities, she has learned
so much to help her farming business.
She has met fascinating people, made
important contacts and become
excited about the possibilities in her
own farm business. She wasn't a
naturally aggressive person and
would have been content to spend her
time in the barn but she forced herself
to get involved in her industry. She
has proved that leaders are made, not
born.
Perhaps you too could be a leader
of the future. Both you and your
profession will benefit. And have no
fear: if you bring good ideas, the
current leaders will welcome you.0
Update
Tell us about your favourite coffee shop
Coffee shops: they're places of community and camaraderie. They can be a
place where farmers share news and ideas. They can also, according to critics, be
places where farmers exchange incorrect rumours and complain to each other.
Each community has its coffee shop but some arc better than others. We'd
like to feature a few of the coffee shops in the region. Is your local coffee shop a
place of lively conversation on farm topics? Drop us a line with a hit of
information about it, the owners, and what time of day is the most active.
Networking promotes local products
A year ago in February, Market GreyVBruce held a conference to stimulate
co-operation between food producers, processors and retailers. An outgrowth of
that effort is a food fair planned in Owen Sound, April 9. Inspiration for the food
fair came from A Taste of Country Food Fair held in Huron County last July.
That in turn was encouraged by the success of Market GreyrBruce. A Taste of
Country Food Fair is scheduled again for July 22 in Blyth. Both it and the
Market GreyrBruce Food Fair are part of a trend to bring consumers and
farmers together and create more local processing of food. The groups help
stimulate each other's ideas and those ideas help stimulate business and johs.0