20 I TOOK AWAY many lessons from my recent experience with the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP), but the one that is probably the most valuable was working with and learning from my AALP Class 19 classmates. The program has been around since the mid1980s, and its rigorous curriculum kept me engaged and involved for more than 15 months between November 2021 and March 2023. The curriculum focused on leadership skills, figuring out ways to be more selfaware and able to truly listen to others while building productive relationships. These were foundational learnings to our later work around developing teams, problem solving, governance, economics, communications, learning, and much more. In addition to the three-to-five-day in-person training sessions held in different parts of A leadership journey AALP CLASS 19 VISITS GREECE Jeff Harrison AALP CLASS 19 DURING THEIR TRIP TO GREECE IN FEBRUARY 2023. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF HARRISON. the province, we had Zoom seminars to reinforce what we were learning, and there were two study tours — one in North America and one international. We also split into smaller teams to do issues analyses and report back on our findings. MAKING TIME FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT This was added onto my ‘day job’ in which I grow corn, soybeans, and wheat in Quinte West with my wife Janie and my four children — Michael, Rachel, Brian, andCharlie – who range in age from 17 to 24. We also do some custom farming and have an on-farm seed dealership. I am also a vice chair of the Board of Directors for the Grain Farmers of Ontario and director for District 12 (Durham, Northumberland, Kawartha, Peterborough, Hastings). I was also appointed by the Minister of Agriculture to the vice chair position of the Grain Financial Protection Board, adding to a busy schedule. The solid support and encouragement from both my family and Grain Farmers of Ontario were crucial in allowing me to pursue my AALP studies. I have been farming for 30 years and have always been interested in improving myself so that when I am called on to help in a leadership role, I will be the best that I can be. I have been fortunate in the past to be involved in skills development programs through Syngenta and Dupont (now Corteva AgriScience). Janie and I completed the American Soybean Association’s (ASA) Young Leaders program together. I am currently a national director on the ASA Board of Directors, representing Canada. I knew taking the AALP program would be a massive time commitment, but when I saw how many accomplished Grain Farmers of Ontario leaders had taken it, and how impressed they were with it, I wanted in. Industry News
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