JFAO provides opportunities for young people age 15-29 of all backgrounds, but especially those in rural Ontario, 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 rural leaders through personal growth, travel, experiences, and community betterment.”
Self-directed programs and opportunities provided by JFAO and its 15 affiliated clubs help to develop a member’s sense of social and environmental responsibility, the ability to provide effective leadership, and an awareness of good citizenship within the community and world around them.
Members across the province have the opportunity to participate in exchanges with several countries and one province, as well as provincial sport, cultural, and skills competitions.
Leadership Camp, Communications Workshops, March Conference, Director’s Training and the Ontario Young Farmers Forums round out JFAO’s personal development opportunities, not including the many locally organized inter-club challenges and events. JFAO also works with 4-H Ontario, its own alumni and many other partners to further increase the opportunities for youth in Ontario.
Each year JF members collectively donate to charitable projects across the province, along with countless hours of volunteer service. A provincial charity is designated each year, a list of which can be found here on our website. JFAO also operates the Ontario Century Farm recognition program, which began as a centennial project in 1967.
The first JF clubs formed in 1914 in Durham, York, Peel, and Middlesex. JFAO is a charitable organization established in 1944 with the support of the rural extension branch of the Ontario government, with a membership of approximately 10,000 at its peak. Today JFAO is funded solely with the support of members, donors and sponsors.
Hi everyone, my name is Keely Henderson, and I am honoured to serve as the 2026–2027 President for JFAO. I have been a part of the Renfrew County Junior Farmers for the past 6 years and enjoy attending provincial events, connecting with members from across the province, and taking part in the many opportunities JFAO has to offer. One of my favourite parts of Junior Farmers is the strong sense of community and the friendships built through events, workshops, leadership opportunities, and socials. Many people think that JF is only for farmers, but I believe there truly is something for anyone, regardless of background or experience. JFAO provides opportunities for education, leadership, networking, and personal growth for all members. I recently graduated from Nipissing University with a double major in Biology and Computer Science as well as a post-graduate certificate in Cybersecurity. As President, I look forward to working alongside our members to continue growing this organization, and supporting the next generation of rural leaders. If you would like to learn more about JFAO please feel free to reach out to me at any time!
Hi there! My name is Jordyn Domio, and I am honored to serve as the 82nd Past President for JFAO. I am from the Niagara Region where I grew up on my family’s fruit farm, and I am a member of the Wentworth-Niagara club. Over the years I have had amazing opportunities to participate in many club, zone and provincial events across the province, and really enjoy the community and opportunities that JFAO has to offer. Outside of JFAO, I work as an agricultural programs analyst, and have been a Director with the Niagara Federation of Agriculture for 5 years now. These positions give me the opportunity to be very connected to the agricultural sector, and I hope to use these connections for the betterment of JFAO. Agriculture has always been a passion of mine, and I believe in the power of young farmers to shape the future of the industry. As Past President, my goal is to continue building opportunities for education, leadership, and networking within JFAO. I look forward to continuing all the hard work our members have done to grow this organization and support the next generation of leaders in Ontario’s farming sector. Together, we can create a bright future for agriculture and rural life in our province.
Hi! My name is Hansford Mahon, and I am the Director of Finance for JFAO. I have been a part of Junior Farmers since 2013, and have attended many events and took on many roles in my local club such as President, Treasurer and Provincial Director. While a part of Junior Farmers, I have been able to host international delegates, run Autumn Profile, and Sing Swing and have traveled to Austria on the JFAO International Exchange program. I live on a farm Northwest of London and run a tiling and excavation business. I have graduated Dalhousie University for Business Management in Agriculture, and am a part of the Middlesex Soil and Crop organization. I am excited to take on this position and see where the year takes us!
Hello, my name is Cecelia Darling and I have been a member of Peterborough County Junior Farmers since 2020. I am the seventh generation on my family beef farm. I am currently studying at Nipissing University, completing a Bachelor of Science Honours Specialization in biology, in the concurrent teaching program. This is my second year as part of the executive team, and I am very excited for all the learning opportunities ahead! I look forward to taking on the role of communications for the coming year!
Hello Everyone! My name is Chanelle Martin and I am excited to be your new Director of Programming. I joined The Stormont Glengarry Junior Farmers in 2017 and have taken on many roles as President, Treasurer and Provincial Director. I graduated in 2016 as a veterinary technician, worked a few years in a veterinary clinic then decided to come home on my family's farm. I live in Stormont County and work on my parents Dairy and Cash Crop farm. Over the past nine years in Junior Farmers I have made some amazing friendships that I will cherish for a lifetime. As my last year in Junior Farmers I look forward to being on the executive committee and meeting new people.
Hello everyone! My name is Sarah Danen and I am excited to be returning to the position as the Director of Community and International Programs. Previously, I had the opportunity to travel on an exchange to the Republic of Ireland. I enjoyed every chance I had to make new friends, embrace new experiences and the agriculture industry. I look forward to allowing other members to have the same experiences that I did. I am currently in my 9th year as a member of the Oxford County Junior Farmers. I live and work on my parents dairy farm and have a full-time job as an Agriculture Client Relationship Manager at Scotiabank. During my free time I enjoy baseball, curling, and being outdoors. I am
Hey everyone! My name is Brady Wytenburg, and I am currently a member of the Renfrew County Junior Farmers, and this will be my second year on the provincial executive. Outside of Junior Farmers, I recently moved to New Hamburg, Ont to work on a dairy farm over the course of the next year and experience something new. In 2022, I graduated from Algonquin college with a diploma in Business-Agriculture and have used my knowledge from that to continue to help on our family farm where we cash crop and finish beef cattle. Farming has always been one of my biggest passions, from the long hours in the spring during calving and seeding to the harvest in the fall. I joined Junior Farmers so that I could continue from my 4-H journey but as well to meet others and learn from them to help continue to build my skillset. I am excited to be this year's East Zone Director so that we as a zone can continue growing, with the momentum that we built
Hello, my name is Emma Cummings, and I have been a dedicated member of the Durham Region Junior Farmers since 2020. Last year, I served on the board for the first time as a provincial director, which encouraged me to attend provincial events and connect with members from across Ontario. Hosting the 2026 Winter Games was a highlight, bringing JFAO members together at my club. As the incoming Central Zone Director, I am excited to foster stronger relationships with clubs in our zone and unite everyone for a zone social.
My name is Isaac Clutterbuck and I am currently a member of Elgin County Junior Farmers. I am excited to take on this role of West Zone Director on the provincial executive. Outside of Junior Farmers I currently work as a millwright apprentice with Dielco Industrial Contractors in London Ontario. I also help out on my family’s cash crop farm near Port Stanley Ontario with planting, harvesting and equipment maintenance. Along with helping on the family farm, I also grow a market garden in the summer and attend a few local farmers markets. I also sit on the Elgin Federation of agriculture as Vice-President and am also a director on the Elgin Stewardship Council. Farming has always been a big passion of mine and that lead me to the University of Guelph to study agriculture where I graduated in 2022 with a BSc in Honours Agriculture. I am looking forward to working with this year’s provincial executive and connecting with and representing the clubs in the west zone.
Hello everyone, my name is Jacob Bergsma, I am the 4-H representative for JFAO. I have been a member of Oxford County Junior Farmers since 2024 and this is my first year on the provincial board. I studied culinary management at Niagara College and now work full time as a cook in Stratford. I have been involved in 4-H since I was nine and have kept it up through high school and college. Being in 4-H led me to connect with older members and leaders who were apart of JFAO who encouraged me to become involved in this organization. I am currently a 4-H Ontario Ambassador for 2026-2027 and holding both these roles I hope to strengthen the connection between the organizations and encourage 4-H youth to join JFAO. Looking forward to a great year as 4-H Representative and new opportunities.
Hi everyone, my name is Mark Ruiter, I am the OFA representative for JFAO. I live and work part time on my family dairy farm while working full time for a cash crop operation. I have been a Carleton County JF member for 9 years. OFA and JF have always had a prosperous relationship, and I look forward to keeping those conversations rolling.
I work on a broiler breeder farm in Oxford and have been part of JF for several years. As someone who has reaped many of the benefits JFAO has to offer including going on exchanges to both Scotland and Republic of Ireland I’d like to try and use these opportunities to market JF on our socials and at events and hopefully recruit new members. I'm excited to work with Ian, getting a new perspective and sharing ideas to improve our visibility within the province and communities.
Hello my name is Ian Pollard and I’m a sixth generation beef farmer from Essex County, just outside of Harrow Ontario, where I feed lot cattle with my family. Over the years my family has raised basically everything, I got my start in the livestock industry with goats and sheep but eventually went full in on the cattle industry which is where we are at today. Outside of farming, I’m a licensed 310T diesel mechanic at a large company in Windsor. I don’t have many hobbies as farming takes up most of my time but I always make time for Junior Farmers. I enjoy hosting the international delegates each year, showing them what’s it’s like to live on an Ontario farm and showing them around my county.
My name is Matthew Sterling. I come from a cash crop farm in Chatham-Kent. I attended Fanshawe College where I received my diploma for electromechanical engineering technician. I am currently employed at RM Auto Restoration, where we repair and restore classic cars. At my job I specialize in electrical repairs. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
For over 65 years, JFAO has played an important role in the development of leaders – most visibly in the rural and agricultural sector. JFAO alumni know the value of the training they received in JF and support our continued efforts to help shape the next generation of leaders. Our alumni also fondly recall the fun and lifelong friendships that began during their time as members. The real beauty of Junior Farmers is that the skill development is disguised in so much fun! See More
Junior Farmers has developed as a result of many people’s efforts over the last 90+ years. JFAO, which serves as the means through which our mission and principles may be developed and maintained throughout Ontario, provides co-ordination and leadership to clubs and opportunities to network through a variety of inter-club competitions, activities, and exchanges. JFAO gives future leaders a voice in related organizations… See More
In 1943, there were 3834 members in 56 local Clubs and 27 County Associations. Within the first 5 years of the formation of the Provincial Association, membership soared to nearly 10,000. In 1974 there were 7045 members in 125 local Clubs and 47 County Associations. Through the 1980s and 1990s a number of factors (including the absolute loss of public funding and staff support) led to a steady decline in membership. The unfaltering dedication of some key members… See More