Dedication to Dad

I had a special encounter today and would like to share the story.

As I find myself at Agdays in Brandon, Manitoba I was somewhat nervous before my presentation to a growing crowd of about only 65 people. Once on stage however I enjoyed sharing my perspective on the how the next generation is going to change the world. I was excited to introduce the audience to my incredible friends from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, United Kingdom, South Africa and Papua New Guinea. (Just to name a few!) Everything went well and I was thrilled to catch up with Olds College friends and meet farm families who found my presentation inspirational. But the best surprise visit was from a young man by the name of Ryan. He waited quietly until I had finished speaking to the small mob of people around me and said “Leona I enjoyed your presentation and I wanted to let you know that I met your dad before he died.” My heart immediately jumped to my throat, I smiled and asked him how a young farmer from Manitoba crossed paths with my dad. He continued to say that when dad sold his Cessna plane in 2007 he was the one who purchased it. It was nice to put a face to a name from an email Ryan had sent to me after hearing about our family’s tragedy later that year.

We continued our conversation and I was most proud of the point that Ryan shared in vividly remembering how positively optimistic and encouraging dad was towards the future of our agricultural industry. It comforts me in hearing this because it is the same passion that I share and promote in all my keynote presentations. Life is once more what we make it. I am confident in the next generation and look forward to the innovative opportunities that have yet to come.

I feel privilege to meet individuals like Ryan who remind me of how lucky a truly am to have had parents who taught my sisters and I so much about life and in having the confidence in ourselves in being the people we aspire to be.

Here’s a dedication to my dad who knew how to make everyone around him feel special!

Olds College friends Andy and Sally!

Welcome 2012

As we welcome the beginning of 2012, I can honestly say that this year is going to be one like no other. Not only do I have an extensive list of countries to visit but I fully intend to take you along for the ride. With that said I also want to offer my support and courage in that all of you will live an exceptional year as well because ‘Life is what we make it!’. It is often overlooked at how powerful the daily decisions we make result in how happy we live each day. As I sit here in Lindsay, Ontario about to present my final keynote speech to a group of 130 farmers, I feel humbled to have had this opportunity to inspire and motivate over 1,100 Canadians through BDO client seminars across the country. (www.bdo.ca)

Yesterday I flew into Toronto and was reminded of how you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl. For example it was the first time that my taxi cab driver had a passenger ride in the front seat and then tried to negotiate the taxi fare. I enjoy people from all walks of life and it still amazes me to see such diverse demographics in any urban setting. Toronto however is truly an amazing place. I say this because as I arrived downtown and decided to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to the Free The Children head office for a meeting, I witnessed an elderly lady give a homeless man some change, a young man going from street post to street post taping posters for a comedy club and a ‘hippie’ couple holding hands and kissing before crossing the street together. I could not help but smile and admire individuality.

The highlight of my day was having the opportunity to meet team members from one of Canada’s most successful and fastest growing organizations known as Free The Children. The worlds largest network of children helping children through education. Besides my teenage crush on Craig Kielburger, I admire his passion and hard work. As a seventh grader in 1995 he became a youth activist and was inspired to step-up, have a voice and take action. To say the very least I don’t think anyone can fully fathom what massive potential Free The Children and the ‘Me to We’ movement really has towards making our world a better place to live in. Please check them out on Facebook and Twitter. Go to their website (www.freethechildren.com) and learn more about making a worthwhile direct donation or better yet how you can get involved. I’ve chosen to participate in a development project in Kenya this October and can hardly wait!

My personal opinion on feeding the world is straight forward. ‘Give a man a fish he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.’ And perhaps he’ll teach his son how to fish and the family will be fed. Furthermore what if they have extra fish to sell and they earn an income to send the kids to school… and the ripple effect continues.

By no means is this a blanket situation to solving world hunger overnight however I believe it’s a start. Ever since my first trip to the developing country of Papua New Guinea in 2009 I gained an appreciative perspective of how lucky I truly am as a healthy Canadian. As a farmer, we take for granted how technology and research has advanced our production methods. Operating a farming business comes with its challenges but if we approach this focus of an increasing world population in a capitalistic mindset I think we’re missing the point. Especially Canada. What do you think China is doing by purchasing so much foreign land? For food security perhaps? I’m sorry to burst any bubbles if anyone thinks that Canada is going to be ‘Bread Basket of the World’; not to forget we have this thing called winter! Granted that climate change continues to throw us some curve balls but what is the single most important element in agriculture?

WATER

Have we seen full production capacity of Saudi Arabia? Not a chance. We talk about ‘Bread Baskets of the World’ and we forget to think of the middle east among others. The limiting factor in these areas is no doubt going to be water.

All food for thought and in the meantime I continue to believe in Canadian agriculture because we have passion and creativity. The world is at our feet, full of opportunity. What decisions will you make today to lead to a remarkable 2012?

Time to get back on the bandwagon!

Well I must say that being away from my blog for a few short months has not satisfied my need to share some thoughtful insight or I guess one could call it, conscious ramble. Never the less as I sit here in the San Francisco airport awaiting my departure to Singapore some 5 hours from now, I figured to try this blogging thing on my new iPad.

I have always been a strong advocate of Positivity. So much so in fact that last night after my keynote speech in Red Deer, AB nearly all the people who came up to me afterwards said that I was beaming with brightness for the future and influenced them to make an effort in living a happier life. Great feelings these are but I challenge myself to think of something for you, my readers. Because you are not in front of me listening to one of my Olds College or globetrotting stories I wonder how I can make an impression on you even if you are just in front of a computer screen.

How many of you pick something up when you walk by because it doesn’t belong there? Like a piece of garbage on the sidewalk, a pillow that fell off of the sofa in a department store, or help someone pick up their dropped belongings. Growing up on the farm taught me to always pick things up and put them where they belong. For example the blue baler twine that would be everywhere in the spring or the odd tool that was forgotten about and left on top of the oil barrel. It used to be a pet peeve of mine to find garbage in the fields that could and sometimes did, cause problems with the machinery. I wonder why people don’t clean up after themselves better then they sometimes do.

I make a conscious effort to pick things up no matter where I am. I challenge YOU to pick ONE thing a day, no matter where you are or what you do, keep an open eye out for something that doesn’t belong. I mean if you want to live in a rats nest then don’t bother but I think that putting forth a little effort will go a long way!

Ok so I am going to publish this blurb to see how smoothly things go and if all systems cleared then I will be thrilled to write as spontaneous as my mind and schedule allow me to. All the best to you and I wish you happy Picking Up! ; )

Big Hearts and Big Dreams – Jillaroos from Australia to Dairy Princesses from Pennsylvania

Have you ever taken the time to think about how certain events lead up to delightful unexpected opportunities in life? Do you believe that everything happens for a reason even if that reason is unexplainable at times? I have and I do.

In most recent events I have had the opportunity to speak to two very unique and diversified groups of aspiring young ladies.

The first speaking opportunity arose during my time in Australia at the Sydney Royal Easter Show as my best friend Alison McIntosh received a phone call from the Desert Channels Group about a possible speaking engagement in Mount Isa, Queensland. Alison was unavailable to attend because of her prior commitments with the Australian Rural Leadership Program. I guess you could say that I was in the right place at the right time and Ali recommended that I be their keynote speaker. Within a month’s time I found myself traveling on a redeye flight across the country.

(Which actually happened to be on the same night as the Royal Wedding. Like me some 200+ air bound travelers of all ages crowded around a television in the Perth International Airport. We awed when Kate first stepped out in her wedding dress and giggled when Prince William blushingly smiled when he first laid eyes on his beautiful bride.)

Mount Isa was a destination that not a lot of Australians can say they’ve traveled to but for many who work in the mining sector this was a busy place to be. I was excited to meet young women who work on cattle stations (Jillaroos) in Northern Australia. We had all gathered from near and far to participate in the Women in the Pastoral Industry Career Workshop. This unique two-day workshop was designed specifically to empower women in pastoral roles to identify their potential and take responsibility for career development and opportunities. My presentation was going to be fun and I was hoping that what I had to say would help inspire and motivate them into a future of ‘making it happen’ ‘expect the unexpected’ and ‘good things come from hard work’ attitudes.

Sharing funny ice fishing stories…

I spoke about farming in Canada. (Yes, we have very cold winters and the cattle are not under a shed, they stay happy outside as long as they have food, water and bedding.) Key themes also included leadership, the strength of perseverance through a family’s tragedy, women in agriculture, the benefits of being involved and many more. Afterwards I was lucky enough to receive such feedback:

“As an interested Nuffield Scholar I found Leona’s presentation highly reflective and informative along with her insight into her views of women in the rural industry.”

“Made me realise that almost anything is possible if you want it enough and have the right attitude.”

“Leona’s story was very inspirational and as a result it inspired me to work hard, believe in myself and never give up!”

“I seriously think she would have to be by far the most interesting and inspirational speaker that I have ever listened to. Leona has made me realise how lucky I really am and that the world is our oyster.”

I tear up when I read comments like these and am proud of the messages I was able to convey. Little do they know I think just as highly of them and have faith that they will be extraordinary in everything they do towards achieving their goals. Imagine the power of over 50 Jillaroos all working hard in initiating change and daring to dream. This is why I choose to share my story because I believe it has the potential to positively influencing someone’s life. The beauty of it all is that no matter what country you live in, we can all relate and as a result we develop friendships and networks that will support and empower us for the future. Leadership is evolutionary.

Girls are silly sometimes… and love to have fun!

The second speaking opportunity was diligently initiated by a persistent young Dairy Princess from Pennsylvania (PA), by the name of Liz Weber, who read my family’s article featured in the March issue of The Furrow, a John Deere publication. She thought that ‘it would be so cool to get all of the girls to be a part of the 2011 Dairy Princess Seminar’. This was before she realized that we were actually from Western Canada and 3,548 km away. However where there is a will there is a way and I was very keen on meeting these young ladies so I arranged a stop over as I was traveling back home from the UK. My first surprise was a welcoming posse of not only Jessica Armacost, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess & Promotion Services Inc., but traveling with her was the State Royalty team, Marissa Weidensaul, Jesse Kline and Elizabeth (Liz) Weber who all held welcoming signs at the airport! Liz was so excited she just had to hug me straight away! The girls and I clicked in a matter of minutes as we dashed into silly comments in getting to know each other. As we reached our destination in Williamsport (Home of Little League International), we settled into our dorm rooms at Lycoming College and for a second surprise the girls had put together a snack pack! Let me tell you I was sure spoiled! We had a fabulous evening and the 4th of July celebrations made it even more memorable as the evening ended with an incredible fireworks show.

My opening keynote address was a success and I must admit that this was the first presentation in a long time that I felt a tad nervous. I think it was because of Liz tearing up at the very beginning as she so proudly and kindly introduced me. She let everyone know that she had been looking forward to my speech for months and was so excited! Talk about putting on the pressure. I knew that no matter what I needed to be myself and just have fun and the rest was history.

Morning Keynote

Parent Session

Jane Harding - a Dairy Princess herself way back when and has been a dedicated volunteer ever since.

I no doubt had a blast with the girls for the rest of the week and I was equally thrilled to learn so much about the dairy industry. For example did you know that milk contains 9 essential nutrients and that chocolate milk contains the perfect combination of carbohydrates and protein to help refuel after a strenuous work-out? Or that there are 56,000 dairy farms in America today and 98 percent of them are family owned and operated? Or that a cow will produce 112 pounds of saliva a day? I challenged myself in learning to identify the different breeds of dairy cattle too from Holstein, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Jersey, Milking Shorthorn and Guernsey. To top that off we even toured the Schneider Dairy Plant where the milk went through the pasteurization and homogenization process.

Pictures of the Milk Process – Cow to Parlor to Plant to Cup.

It was refreshing to see such a young motivated passion for the dairy industry in Pennsylvania and the surrounding states. In having this wonderful opportunity to meet the young individuals who influence and help educate our communities was pretty powerful. I feel most grateful to have met Liz Weber and her vision in making this a valued opportunity. She is a charismatic, bright and beautiful young lady whose positive vibe is contagious. I can’t wait to see what her next accomplishments will be.

Picture of Liz and I

I find myself reflecting on past opportunities and experiences quite often and feelings of comfort and self-worth soon follow. It is no doubt that we all have busy schedules but one thing that I have begun to notice is that sometimes you’ll have these random events taking place that pull us back down to earth. Times that make us slow down and listen to a friend’s heartfelt story or witness an elderly couple walking down the street holding hands. Learning about an industry that you have little knowledge about to lending a helping hand where ever you are!

As Dad would say “We’re going to the Really Big Show!”

I must say that the past few months have been so busy that I haven’t had the time to update my blog and for that I apologize. However, I am equally if not more excited to share some of my highlighted experiences from my travels through Australia.

In this beautiful country I reunited with old friends and made new ones, I attended social gatherings and spent some time out on the farm. As the Aussies would say, my time there was pretty ‘full-on’. So much so that it was pointed out that I’ve visited more places than they have. Crazyness!

First stop was Sydney and not for your average shopping trip or board
meeting but for a special event where Dad would say “We’re going to the Really Big Show!”

http://www.eastershow.com.au

The Sydney Royal Easter Show attracts 900,000 visitors yearly and is an iconic showcase of rural Australia. It features over 15,000 competitors who bring the best of breeds and livestock, art, food, fashion and produce. Like all shows it strives to ensure that agriculture is recognized and appreciated for the vital role it plays in the health and wealth in its own country. It celebrates excellence and provides educational opportunities to bridge that gap between urban
and rural understanding. This dynamic experience is suited for the whole family to enjoy as there was live music, extreme action performances, entertainment, rides and shopping. I must admit that even after being there for 10 days there was always something new to see and do!

My time at the royal show would not have been the same without my partner in crime Will Hyde, a good friend from England. As two young international guests we were well looked after and it was a pleasure to help pitch in where ever we were needed as show stewards.

Together we toured ALL animal exhibits including poultry & pigeon, cattle, dogs, horses, goats, sheep, alpaca, pigs and domestic animals like rabbits, cats, reptiles, ect. We competed on a team in the Young Farmer Challenge (yes it was pouring rain!) and we even had the thrill of riding with the Toyota V6 Hilux Heroes Precision Driving Team. The following pictures will highlight show features and our unforgettable experience at the Sydney Royal Easter Show!

Over the past 5 years I’ve had the opportunity to learn about agricultural show societies and the challenges they face. What does the world’s greatest agricultural show look like and and how can it have the greatest influence on those who attend? We all need agriculture no doubt but in today’s society is agriculture getting the recognition it deserves? Think about that for a second. If we all make rational purchase decisions not necessarily based on cheapest price, convenience or look, I think that there is a great opportunity for each and everyone one of us to potentially eat healthier, save money (because we realized that life will go on without those D&G sunglasses) and live a less complicated more humble life. That’s where I think that if you are going to have a day out at the show it’s important to take the time to perhaps learn a thing or two about agriculture and how it makes all things possible! Maybe the next time you go to the grocery store you’ll purchase potatoes and carrots that you noticed had won champion and reserve champion at the show or perhaps you’ll be interested in visiting the local farmers market because you met that farmer at the show. The same goes from a farmer’s perspective though too. Perhaps you will meet and learn from customers and think of creative and innovative ways to adjustment your business strategy or modify a product to become more competitive.

At the end of the day however I think there are many things we share and experience with one another that will influence our actions later on. I encourage you to get involved with your local show society if you have a keen interest in promoting agriculture and have new ideas to share in keeping the general public on their toes!

I’m extremely excited for the Calgary Stampede next week celebrating 99 years! Join us for the fun between July 8 – 17^th, 2011. See you
there!

http://calgarystampede.com

Treasuring Friends of All Sorts

I feel so blessed to have as many great friends from around this wonderful world as I do. And for that I would like to dedicate this blog post to those I mention bellow.

New Friends

I can honestly say that I enjoy meeting new people and find it quite easy to make new friends. Discovering the thrill in blossoming relationships always comes as a surprise. It is certain that the global network within the Nuffield family is invaluable and the additional friends that I have made along the way are precious. At the end of the day it is all about having a great time and enjoying each other’s company.

Picture of some Nuffield friends as we adventured on a biking tour in Hanmer Springs, NZ.

Old Friends

‘Remember that time when we…?’ is always a sentence that brings back vivid memories; some may experience knee-slapping laughter while others cover their face as they blush in embarrassment. Reminiscing about our timelessly classic childhood memories to spontaneous adventures with friends are all stories sure to bring smiles all around. I had a blast in Auckland, NZ with Holly Brownlee and fiancé Mike Boulianne. Holly used to work with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) out of Winnipeg, Manitoba while I was a board member on the Canadian Young Farmers Forum (CYFF). A few years ago we used to continuously run into each other at conferences and tradeshows in Western Canada. Needless to say we became good friends and it was a sure thing that we would have fun no matter where we were. It was nice to see that we picked up right where we left off as we all enjoyed Thai and Mexican food, some singing and dancing, a day’s walk to a beautiful beach and a visit to the aquarium. Our last evening together was made even more memorable as Holly and I whipped a pavlova dessert by hand and endured the longest card game of Monopoly ever, and Mike still won! I wish them well in NZ over the next couple years and am confident that our golden day memories will be reflected upon again in the future as old friends.

Picture of Shark Attack with Mike & Holly.

Little Friends

I adore little people! I have so much fun with them and it is not uncommon to see one riding on my shoulders as another hangs onto my legs as we proceed to tackle the monster walk across the room. As a matter of fact, I quickly popular with three little girls a couple of weeks ago as I joined them outside to look for geckos, painted their tinny finger and toe nails with my bright pink nail polish and cooked a fresh batch of M&M cookies. I often am reminded about all the things we did as little girls growing up with mom and having five of us around definitely made for a house full. I try to make notes of all the simple things we used to do from cutting and eating our dinosaur shaped jello-jigglers to making homemade popsicles and from coloring our creative handmade crafts to dressing ourselves in fashionable sheet wear. All bring back good memories and most are with older cousins of mine. (Carmen & Maurice ) The reason we had so much fun was because they loved to play with us. So I try to think proactively about this and choose to be that really fun big kid. The one who would help to lift us up at the playground to reach places we couldn’t have reach on our own as children and feel like we were on top of the world! (Aww Who am I kidding? I really just want to be a kid that never grows up!)

Picture of Aliyah and I goofin’ around at a store in Crookwell.

Special Friends

All friends are special because they are all individually unique. Some however are especially special because those are the ones you can look up to and count on. John Bennett for example is a class act. Not only has he helped guide and support my increasing involvement with the RASC but he is a true leader and inspires those around him. He is timid yet productive and confident yet very polite. It was my honor to have him join me for my first Sydney Opera House experience as we attended the Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, The Last Romantic.

Picture of Sydney Orchestra in Concert Hall.

Picture of John & I at Bennelong, Sydney Opera House.

Best Friends

Good friends are hard to find. They are the ones you can talk to about anything, the ones that mysteriously know if there’s something wrong because they can see past your fake smile and the ones that always seem to give the best advice. I feel lucky to have a handful of best friends but because most of them are from Canada I am especially excited that one of them is here in Australia and her name is Alison McIntosh. Alison has become a best friend over the years as our friendship started in 2006 when she traveled to Calgary for an RASC conference. Since then we have traveled to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii and parts of Australia together. I must say that my funniest traveling stories are the ones that are with her. She is a farm girl inside and out but don’t let her entrepreneurial drive and likeable leadership skills distract you. I think best friends are best fit role models; they are the individuals that we look up to and aspire to be like in one way or another. I have treasured every moment with Alison and will most definitely look forward to a long lasting future of girly to business chats.

Picture of Alison – Friends are hard to find.

Is there such a thing as too many friends? I don’t think so because if there is at least one positive influence that can be passed on from one friend to another then I think it is all worthwhile. I believe that family is most important however a life without friends would be empty. It is easy for me to send postcards to my friends while I am away but when was the last time you did something special for one of your friends? I challenge you to make new friends. I encourage you to reconnect with an old friend. Don’t forget about the little ones, they are sure to be found at the playground. Send a surprise in the mail to a special friend and let your best friends know you appreciate them. A thoughtful gift is best, especially when it comes from the heart.

We can all Sing ‘It’s a Small World After All’

We all know that one thing is for sure; the power of the World Wide Web has made this planet a very small place to live in. With emails being sent every second of every day and being delivered to the receiver’s inbox before you can say the word ‘tickadeeboo’, the level of communication and production has exponentially increased. Our society thrives on the internet to find answers to our questions, to entertain ourselves with and for some, to further our business opportunities on. Here you are reading this blog post about my travel experiences and thoughts all while being connected to the web. Do you ever find yourself thinking about the times before internet and cell phones even existed?

Picture of some really cool Mailboxes in New Zealand.

It wasn’t that long ago when research for school papers was done in the library looking through various encyclopedias or sending a facsimile was notable. It is easy to come to the conclusion that we have all adapted to the use of technology on a daily basis. It somewhat disturbs me to think however of the dependency we’ve grown to have on these materialistic items. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone but sometimes it is my worst enemy. And Facebook is just a website; a page that enables me to grow my international network and provides me with an effective communication tool, it by no means defines my entire life nor is it an obsession. (I’d much rather surprise people and eat delicious chocolate!) Life is about so much more than being lost in today’s technology overload resulting in being disconnected to those around you. With that said however I do think that it is important to appreciate their purpose and manage their uses wisely.

I’ve titled this blog ‘We can all Sing It’s a Small World After All’
because it will cease to amaze me that no matter what country I travel to there is always someone somewhere who knows someone I know or better yet someone who surprisingly knows me! It used to be said that there is six degrees of separation between any two people. Today I suppose it could be said that we are all divided by only Six Pixels of Separation (book by Mitch Joel). I tested this theory during my second last week in New Zealand, where Nicola and I were delegates of the International Farm Management Association (IFMA) conference in Methven. With a dynamic group of international individuals I met undergraduate students from Cornell University, a lecturer from South Africa, extension staff from Kenya, directors from Argentina and a dairy consultant who loves to dance latino from Uruguay. All of whom had a mutual friend or knew of someone who was involved with a particular organization that I was familiar with. Many conversations took place that week and I have to say that I enjoyed speaking with the delegates from Africa the most. My anticipation continues to build for my upcoming trip to Zambia in 2012 and feel most honored to have been asked to represent as the RASC Next Generation leader and co-planner.

I always get a kick out of people. I admire the dynamic range of
characters and cultures along with the wealth of knowledge and sometimes overbearing of opinions they may have. I am convinced however that this world is really a small place when stories like the following one happens unexpectedly.

“Over the past month I have become good friends with Sam Johnson. Sam is good friends with Stephanie Jean. Steph is engaged to Ben, a local farmer who lives in Mayfield where Sam grew up. One day when Sam was telling Steph about these five farm girls from Canada Steph replied “Hey, I know who that is. I’ve been to their farm!” Go figure! I meet someone in New Zealand who just happens to have a close friend who knows about the Dargis Girls!”

To say the very least, we had an amazing weekend and having the chance to meet, party and golf with a fellow Canadian farm girl like Steph was like being temporarily back at home.

Picture of Ben, Stephanie, Sam & I at the ‘Pretty in Pink Ball’.

As I continue to admire all walks of life it may be apparent to you by now that I especially enjoy meeting our elderly generation. I consider myself lucky to have met Sam’s grandma, Bettsie Johnson (BJ). I couldn’t help but laugh out loud every time I would refer to an old piece of equipment as ‘good ol’ Bettsie’ then look at Sam as he reminds me that that is the name of his Grandma and in fact whose farm we were on at the time. BJ reminded me a lot of my Mémère Anne Boucher because it was evident that she knew what hard work was and very adamant in believing that getting the job done right meant doing it yourself. Her witty look mimicked that of Mémère Boucher’s and brought a smile to my face. I think that we in today’s society take the hardships that our older generations had to work through for granted. We have NO IDEA what it is like to live through a World War, a Great Depression or an Epidemic. Many of us take the supply of food and accessibility of money for granted. We should all be proud of and appreciate the determination and industrious work it took for our ancestry to survive. Without their successes we would not even be here!

Picture of Sam & BJ.

As I leave you with this final post about New Zealand (for now) and
travel to Australia for the next 2 months I would like to share a picture that I took of a recipe and well known Kiwi dessert, the Raspberry Fudge Brownie! I hope you enjoy this delightful sweet and who knows maybe you’ll share this NZ story and be surprised with the unexpected conversation of rediscovering new friends and some commonalities.

Remember it is a Small World After All! Bonne Appetite!

Picture of Recipe.