I don’t really know how to sum up this weekend in a few words. It was an awesome way to spend a weekend, and I would definitely do it again, given the opportunity. The more the merrier and I really do believe that Wentworth will have to send more people to represent our fine club next year.

When Matt Smith and I first arrived, we were given a big package full of goodies and information pamphlets relevant to the activities throughout the weekend, as well as other fun resources. Then we were off to the meeting! We were not allowed to wear jeans for the majority of the weekend, to keep us looking professional. Matt and I didn’t know what we were in for; the opening ceremony and the people were hilarious. The meeting was understandably long but it involved many interesting details and insights into the running of Junior Farmers and all of the work that’s put into it (which is a lot). You get to meet and know the people who are representing our Provincial group as a whole, and all of the other fine people involved in past and present Junior Farmers. During our break in the meeting, a local karate group came to show us their cool moves. Then, after the meeting, there was a dance. You had to dress up in your favourite sports/Olympic wear. Unfortunately Matt and I were unaware of this theme -- that’s why it’s a good idea to read over all the event materials mailed/e-mailed to you before the weekend! This is also why you should always get your form in on time to make sure you will receive the information packages on time as well.

The Saturday was incredibly busy and filled with things to do. I did take notes because I knew I had to write this report later, but I don’t have those with me now so this is my best recollection from the day. For such a late night the night before, the breakfast was rather early, but it was incredibly tasty when I finally decided to get out of bed! Both of our other members attending, Jon Bouwmeester and Becky Gaasenbeek arrived in time for breakfast. After eating, we went back to the hall where everything was held. We had three guest speakers come in to present their causes to us in hopes of us deciding to sponsor them as our provincial charity for this year. War Amps, Special Olympics, and Farm Safety Association were the three presentors and after a ballot vote, the Farm Safety Association won out. The Farm Safety Association is an association that I’m sure many of you are familiar with. Their main goal is promoting awareness of safety throughout the farming and rural community, but not limited to them. Awareness is for young and old, and you can never be too safe. I have volunteered with the Farm Safety Association in past years and I am confident that our money will be going to the right place.

Later in the day, we were split into groups in accordance to the colour of sticker on our folders, and we were sent off to rotating break-out sessions. The first one we attended was Toast Masters. I think the majority of our group came out of the session without any knowledge as to what exactly Toast Masters is. (an international group focussed on developing public speaking skills – see toastmaster.org ) The presenter counted out numbers among the rows of people to randomly select participants and asked questions about Junior Farmers. We had to stand at the front of the room and present a maximum two minutes on the question to the group in hopes of improving our public speaking skills. This was called ‘table topics’. They taught us different public speaking skills including one that avoided answering the question altogether! If you are asked a question, and do not have a true grasp of the answer, there are rather tactful ways of ‘answering’ the question. We all do/will have to speak in front of groups of people and even though a few people were not too thrilled with being put on the spot, it is essential for everyone to be comfortable with it.

The second presenter was a Registered Dietician. She taught us about eating on the go and eating healthy with a busy lifestyle. Becky and I sat at the front of the room listening to the flurries of disgust coming from the back of the room (aka Farmer Jon and Matt) whenever she mentioned what an actual serving of meat was (deck of cards size), or mentioned the recommended serving of fruits and veggies per day. Yes guys, a two pound steak is not one serving, and veggies are actually rather tasty! They had a couscous bean salad prepared for us as a snack, and it was very healthy, easy to make and tasty. If anyone would like to recipe, I still have it, so feel free to ask for it.

The last session was my favourite. We worked off our couscous salad at a ‘learn to square dance’ session. Everyone was taught a few basic dances, and even though there were a few umm... mix ups, we all had fun and got to dance! This was a great opportunity for all of those who come to Junior Farmers dances and are unable to participate in the square dance. In light of this, our Wentworth Junior Farmers is doing this very thing, just a bit more large scale on June 30th.

Saturday afternoon, we listened to a motivational speech by an Olympic medallist, and a blind comedian from Brantford. After the day’s events, we had an hour break so the four of us (Jon, Becky, Matt and I) made a trip downtown and then back to get ready for the big banquet and dance. The dance was a blast, and there was a rather interesting silent auction as well – especially when it turned into a live auction to increase some of the bids. Everyone dressed up in formal wear and group photos were taken afterwards.

The Sunday morning started a bit later than the Saturday. Closing ceremonies and the photo slideshow were over by noon and we all said our good byes and headed for home! It was a very tiring weekend but a ton of fun was had by all. I strongly recommend March Conference to all Junior Farmers