Hello Everyone,
My name is Jessica Oelschlagel and I was selected by Trillium Mutual Insurance in Listowel, ON to be the REAL Ontario
Farm Reporter. My job is to be at as many Agricultural Events this summer as possible! I want to speak to farmers, agricultural businesses, agricultural event organizers, and local agricultural advicates to help them speak out and have their concerns and celebrations heard.
But why me?
What have I done that makes me a good REAL Ontario Farm Reporter?
Agricultural Representation
I was chosen for Harriston – Minto Agricultural Ambassador 2010 because my town felt I was the best to represent my agricultural community at our 2010 Fall Fair and at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) that I am planning to attend later in the summer. In the same year my home towns ambassador pageant encouraged me to try for Miss Teen Canada World, not expecting such a great experience for me from an agricultural prospective. I represented the Ontario Associasion of Agricultural Society’s and Canadian Farmers at Miss Teen Canada and was the first girl EVER to do so. This made me feel great because I knew I was being different and speaking a voice that people do not often hear at events such as pageants. 
But why agriculture?
What lead me to that choice?
Since I am from a small town I was wary to try out for Miss Teen Canada World because I thought I was too plain and too much of a “farm girl”. I spent most of my time riding my horses, Nick’s Big Shot aka Flash and L-L Sweet Sugar Five aka Grizzley or helping my Dad in our family business, a local, family-owned meat processing plant, Harriston Packing. Not just anyone knows how to take a cow from pasture and turn it into a hamburger ; I am one of the 
few who can do just that.
Where I am from going on a date with my boyfriend it’s not normally to the movies, bowling or out for dinner, instead we go to the barn to help milk the cows (I recently learned how to milk cows, all on my own, and I am very excited about it) and feed the baby calves. Sometimes, we are even lucky enough to have a litter of farm puppies or kittens to play with. During my summers I spent nearly every weekend of
my at DODGE rodeos or National Barrel Horse Association shows watching ropers, steer wrestling, and bull riding, not to mention barrel racing and hazing with Flash. I never get tired of watching horses run around barrels or slide after a rope is thrown. Rodeo animals are treated with such respect because they have to be able to perform at high standards. Thousands of dollars are spent during the year on feed, veterinary care, bedding, training and overall satisfaction of the animals. It is amazing how well these animals are cared for, but it is all in agriculture! However, agriculture is not only about the livestock, crops and feed. There is a whole other side of agriculture we need to remember … environment and landscapes. I learned this in the Community Environmental Leadership Program at my high school, Norwell D.S.S.
Community Environmental Leadership Program?
I’ll explain that later, it needs its own post…
How does a girl from a small rural town, that lives on 100 acres compete with the girls from Toronto in a beauty pageant?
I want to use any opportunity to educate and express the importance of agriculture to Canadians because I feel that it is slowly being taken away from modern society. Agriculture is the true beauty of not only Canada, but the world. It is the middle gear that keeps all the others turning. I want people to be able to know how to make their own butter at home, how their milk and meat is produced, how eggs are graded and many other important aspects of agriculture. Many youth today do not get to experience agriculture and farming because of the growth in large industrialized farms. Even in rural Ontario there are youth who have never touched a cow, horse, pig or chicken in their whole life. My mission is to try to enlighten farming for everyone, especially youth, so they can have the the chance to have all the great knowlege of where their food comes from.
What have I done to educate public about agriculture?
Agricultural Awareness Day with Grade Three Students
In grade 12 some peers and I decided to run an agricultural awareness day for the grade threes at our local elementary schools. Our goal was to educate over 100 grade three students about agriculture. We went to three different schools in our area to do just that. The date of our event was May 4th and 6th 2011 and each event would be half a day at each school. There were six different aspects of agriculture we were going to talk about: chickens, beef and dairy, equestrian, water cycle, plants and Agricultural Trade. Each of our stations allowed 15-20 mins of hands on learning for the children about each of the topics listed above.
Station One
The plant group was a huge success because every child got to learn how to grow their own pumpkin seeds at home. We wanted to promote kids going to the local fall fairs, so that they could learn more about agriculture and experience growing their own plant. We gave them a ziplock bag where they could put their seed in with water and see the roots and stem sprout. The ziplock bag is clear so that the kids can actually see the roots form and the seed germinate. The girl who ran this station also educated the kids on long term growth and answered any questions that may be asked by the kids.
Station Two
Learning the natural filtration of the water cycle was very fascinating for many of the kids. They tried experimenting with different types of soil to see what filters water best. We had a set of cups filled with the the different layers of dirt found in the earths crust: Sand, Clay, Gravel, and Cotton (representing vegetation). We also had a cup that contained all different types of dirt to show how the crust actually filters water when it is all put together. Many grade threes found this group informative and educating.
Seeing a real animal can be a life changing experience for a elementary school child. Our original plan was to have all schools together for one big agricultural day and have many different farm animals, but the school board did not approve. However, the baby chicks were still a major attraction. In this presentation the kids got to see egg candling andgot to learn about eggs and how they are graded: AA, A, B, C. The best part about this group was that the kids would actually get to pet the chicks at the end of the seminar. Many of the kids were amazed that they could have their own chicken at their home that can lay eggs just for them. It helped them to understand that your only food option is not only the groccery store.
I ran a group about horses and equestrian attire. The kids had the chance to sit in a real barrel racing saddle as well as learn about equipment that is used on a horse. They got to see and touch various horse grooming tools, blankets, cowboy boots, medicine boots, spurs, bridles, reins, halters, stirrups, and lassos. I gave them a brief demonstration of how to rope a steer and allowed them to try the horses boots on their own legs to see how the horses feel. It is a great experience for the kids to get very hands on because it allows them to get an experience they could take into the real world and use their knowledge.
Station Five
This was the group about meat and dairy. In this group the kids learn where certain cuts of meat are from. For example we showed that bacon comes from a pig and t-bone steak comes from a cow. The kids got to play a matching game of what animal they think different kinds of meat are from. Another interesting part of this seminar was that the kids made their own butter. They achieved this by shaking cream in a small glass jar for the entire day. At the end of the day the jar was passed around with the butter inside rather than cream.
Station Six
Finally, we talk about how Canada can help countries that cannot sustain the agriculture we can. In this station we used skittles to represent food, like grain. We made a story where the kids would have to make some decisions on how to help a less fortunate country.
Poverty Story
The rich people have really good job that pay good money.
There is a :
business man
farmer
teacher
lawyer
doctor
construction worker
the rest were young and still in school
The poor people do not have good jobs that pay a lot of money. There are (is):
2 Plantation workers
A Factory worker
the rest were unemployed
or were children who did not have school to attend
Everyone from all the countries has worked very hard all month
Total Income for the Rich countries is : $500.00Total Income for the poor countries is: $100.00
Later, everyone was looking to have a treat and really wanted some candy
The Big Bag of Candy for the whole group to each have 3 candies was : $250.00
For a small bag where everyone just got one candy it was $100.00
The rich people had enough money to buy a Big Bag of Candy and have money to spare.
But, the poor country only had enough money for one candy for everyone and they did not want to spend all their money on just one candy for everyone because they would like to save thei money for better things.
The rich people decided they want to help out the poor people and they have one of two choices:
a) share the candy they have by giving the poor people each one of their candy so they can buy another on one their own with their money so everyone in all the countries will have 2 candies
b) buy them a big bag of candy so the poor can save their $100 and everyone from all the countries gets three candies
With this story the kids learned that we must share our wealth not only in money but in agriculture as well.
Wrap Up
At the end of the day everyone got to sit together with the leaders and reflect on their day. We gave them all special cards that asked the question.. ” if it were not for farmers..” and they would have to answer it. Some of the answers were: “We would not be able to eat supper” ,” We could not watch rodeos”, “Everyone would have to learn to grow food on their own” , “The world would not be a very nice place”. Overall I think my grade 12 volunteers and I did a wonderful job teaching approximatley 150 youth over the course of the two days. We put alot of hard work an effort into the content of the day and are so happy that the children were satisfied with our work.
I would like to take a moment to thank all the volunteers who came out to to photography as well as the staff and students from all the schools who agreed to participate. We are making a difference!
Well after all that information, I just want to conclude every
thing I have said.
I just want to be very down to earth and approachable to everyone. I am looking to make a difference and would love to take any questions or comments. I will keep everyone updated on the information I gain this summer as well as fundraisers and events I will be attending. Can not wait to get out in the REAL Ontario Farmers Honda Civic!
Happy Farming!
Jessica Oelschlagel
REAL Ontario Farm Reporter
realontariofarmer 