Wellington County Junior Farmer member Jennifer Dane from Wroxeter, Ontario will be heading to the Republic of Ireland after being granted an exchange through the Junior Farmers Association of Ontario (JFAO).

Dane had never heard of Junior Farmers before meeting someone involved in the Oxford county club and after being out to several JF events, she decided if she could find a club within a reasonable distance from home she would join. She joined Junior Farmers in January of 2008, with the re-establishment of the Wellington County club, a fair distance from home, but she knew it was worth it.

Describing herself as a shy individual...

... she never expected to have the experiences that she has had. Dane tried to involve herself in as many Junior Farmer activities as possible. Including getting involved in the community with several events including helping at local fairs, working with youth to help them better understand different aspects of agriculture, and fundraisers for the Wellington Club and charities.

Dane also involved herself at many provincial events put on by JFAO. These events included March Conference and Leadership Camp, which teaches you how to be an effective leader and the importance of teamwork. Other events include Autumn Profile (similar to farmer Olympics), Sing Swing (a chance for local clubs to get together and showcase their singing and dancing talents, in which learning to square dance was Dane’s favourite) and Winter Games (competing against other clubs in basketball, volleyball, curling, badminton and bowling). Junior Farmer Provincial Events allow people with a common interest from all over Ontario to get together to become friends and have a fun time together.

JFAO also offers great opportunities to its members. To become a member you just need to be between the ages of 15 and 29 and willing to have fun and learn. One of the opportunities that JFAO offers is a chance to go on exchange to another province or country.

At this time there is one province and seven countries to choose from. Dane decided to take a chance at this opportunity and apply for an exchange to Ireland. After filling out the application, being interviewed and writing a quiz she was awarded with the exchange to Ireland.

Dane chose Ireland because it is the roots of her last name and it’s been a dream of hers to see this beautiful country.

Dane will be heading to Ireland this August for approximately a month to spend time exploring the country and learning about agriculture with their youth organization Macra na Feirme.

"I am very excited for this opportunity and very grateful to JFAO for providing me this opportunity" says Dane.

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Since 1944, JFAO has provided opportunities for young people age 15-29. Members come from a variety backgrounds, to take on the challenge of exploring their individual talents and potential to develop personally while being involved in bettering their communities, networking, and having fun. JFAO’s mission is “To Build Future Rural Leaders Through Self-Help and Community Betterment.”

Anyone wishing to establish a JF club in their area or learn how to join an existing club should contact the JFAO office through This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 519-780-JFAO.