The CFFO Commentary: Tackling Agricultural Challenges Aided Through Leadership Training

By John Clement

October 1, 2010

I appreciate good leadership. Good leaders have a way of focusing people on critical issues and helping them to work together on finding solutions. Sometimes that involves pioneering a new way of doing things and forcing people to react, while at other times it involves pushing others from behind to bring forward important ideas. There are as many styles of leadership as there are leaders.

Leadership is particularly important in agriculture. A cursory look at farming shows a multitude of commodity and interest groups containing a multitude of opinions about how to move their industries forward. The challenges are multiple and need to bridge subjects as diverse as marketing strategies, communications, relationships with processors and government, and public affairs. Without leadership on these issues, the multitude of voices within agriculture can quickly become a cacophony that quickly descends into inaction and ineffectiveness.

With that perspective in mind, I’m particularly keen on some of the leadership initiatives being offered by the Rural Ontario Institute. Officially launched on April 1 of this year, the ROI “has a mandate to provide rural leadership development and focus on multi-stakeholder engagement for the purposes of engaging rural stakeholders and developing and delivering community engagement strategies; securing and communicating ground intelligence on rural issues; and informing decision makers on rural issues.” It was created through an amalgamation of The Centre for Rural Leadership and The Ontario Rural Council.

The ROI has jumped from the starting gate with three core programs. They include the highly effective Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program, Steps to Leadership and Personal Development Workshops and Seminars. Although all of these programs are important, the AALP program is the centerpiece and features a 48-day program delivered over the course of 19 months. It combines instruction, distance education, international travel and dialogue with business, government, industry and community leaders. Studies show an impressive 11 to 1 payback for agriculture for leadership programs like AALP.

My bet is that the ROI has a few more tricks up its sleeve and will offer even more targeted leadership training opportunities in the future. Those looking for leadership training should check out their website at www.ruralontarioinstitute.ca for announcements and opportunities. And with Class 13 of the AALP program close to graduating, it’s not too early to consider whether you, or someone you might recommend, might be interested in participating in this unique training program.

As I mentioned earlier, Ontario agriculture needs good leaders to meet the challenges of the day. Groups like the ROI make the task of training leaders much more manageable.

John Clement is the General Manager of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, Ontario and is archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,353 family farmers across Ontario.

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Saskatchewan produced record crop in 2025

Saskatchewan produced a record 41.9 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds in 2025, up 13.7 per cent from the previous year, the agriculture ministry said Dec. 19. The record is also 24.1 per cent above the five-year average. Agriculture minister David Marit said resilient and innovative producers were able to overcome challenges such as drought to grow this amount. Records were set for canola production, at 12.2 million tonnes, and lentils at 2.9 million tonnes. By volume for other crops, the province’s producers grew 12.7 million tonnes of spring wheat, 5.4 million tonnes of durum, 3.5 million tonnes of barley, and 1.8 million tonnes each of dry peas and oats. The ministry said Saskatchewan saw significant production growth in lentils, up 37 per cent, canola 16.7 per cent, barley 16 per cent, durum 8.5 percent and spring wheat 5.3 per cent. The estimates provided by Statistics Canada are based on a post-harvest survey of 7,198 farmers from Oct. 3 to Nov. 6. The province has a ta

Canadians called slow to embrace biofuel policy

Canadians farmers have had a hard time embracing biofuel policy the same way that producers south of the border have, says Shaun Haney, founder of RealAgriculture. He told the MNP Ag Connections Conference in Medicine Hat in November that as Canada continues to struggle to get its agriculture commodities into China, a shift of outlook is needed. At one time, scientists, agronomists and growers were extremely worried clubroot would spread across the Prairies and devastate Canada’s canola industry. “Canadian farmers have a hard time totally getting their head around and supporting it because people will often say, ‘I want the government out of stuff, I don’t want industrial policy, I don’t want nation building. We can’t create demand through government policy’,” he said. “But, that is exactly what the (Renewable Fuel Standard) is in the Untied States.” The U.S. sees 40 to 45 per cent of its corn crop going into ethanol, from which Canada has benefited. While Canada continues to focu

Team Alberta Crops Breakfast – Through the Eyes of an Intern

As the new communications intern at Alberta Canola, the Team Alberta Crops breakfast was my first time at an agriculture policy event. I come from an urban background with limited exposure to farming. Insights from presenters Milt Poirier, from QGI Consulting, and Neil Blue, a provincial Crop Market Analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, fundamentally changed my understanding of the agricultural industry. I no longer see Canadian agriculture as simply the production of farm products. Instead, I now view farming in the context of globally interconnected systems. These systems encompass the inputs that farmers rely on, the production processes, and the networks of processing and logistics. All of these systems are further shaped by external forces, including national and provincial policies, international trade rules, climate patterns, and technological innovations. Global Competition and Climate Challenge From Neil Blue’s talk, I learned that agriculture is a competit

The Future of Agriculture is Collaborative: A Vision for Stronger Partnerships

Taking on the role of Western Product Specialist at FP Genetics has been an exhilarating journey thus far. As someone passionate about agriculture since childhood, I’m excited to be part of an industry that combines science, relationships, and practical problem-solving. My primary focus will be to understand the connections between farmers, retailers, and the crops we nurture together. In my early days here, I dove into the fascinating world of epigenetics to uncover the secrets of how genetic traits impact plant performance. Each seed carries a narrative shaped by environmental factors and stress, and I’m dedicated to helping farmers understand their choices and the potential they hold. Working closely with Colin and Colette, my Saskatchewan and Alberta territory managers, has been both educational and transformative. We collaborate to first understand and then bridge the gap between our products and the retailers we support. Each retailer presents unique challenges and opportuniti

Women Farmers Drive Growth in Canadian Agriculture

Women are taking the reins in Canadian agriculture like never before. Statistics Canada reports nearly 90,000 female farm operators nationwide—up from 80,000 in 2021.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service