Craig Lester Under the midnight sun Nuffield Canada celebrates where farming pushes boundaries Leona Watson considers herself a bit of a time-travelling farmer. Breaking land from scratch, putting in years of labour to get it into production, and farming with older equipment, there are days she feels like the clock has been turned back 100 years. Some might be surprised to learn that Watson's home is right here in Canada, just outside of Whitehorse in the Yukon. The 2011 Nuffield Canada Scholar has been able to take many of the lessons learned through her global studies and help carve out a way of life for her family. It is that pioneering mindset deeply embedded in the Yukon’s agricultural DNA that made it both a unique and fitting location for Nuffield Canada’s 75th anniversary. Nuffield Canada is a national agricultural leadership program that supports farmers and agri-professionals in expanding their knowledge through international study. Each year, a small group of Canadian scholars are selected to travel the world, exploring a topic that connects their personal passion with broader industry impact. Since 1950, more than 150 Canadians have completed the program. The goal is to bring ideas home that challenge thinking, build networks, and help move Canadian agriculture forward. Scholars return to share what they’ve learned through presentations, written reports, and leadership in their communities and sectors. Nuffield Chair Steve Larocque says scholars come away from the Nuffield experience, changing what they do and ultimately improving agriculture, as exemplified by Watson. The Yukon region, a land of both tremendous opportunity and challenge in the agricultural space, provided an incredible backdrop for an organization like Nuffield, which prides itself on learning, travel, knowledge transfer, and growth. Scholars toured farms, food processors and ag businesses throughout the region. Larocque says there was no better fitting place to bring together Nuffield scholars than Canada’s north during the solstice. “It's such a pioneering area. It's just so maverick up here, so independent. So, it was fascinating to see those farms and grow to appreciate our own farms at home for what we have and the resources we have versus up here.” The Yukon’s agriculture sector is small but ripe with opportunity. It’s what drew Leona Watson and her husband north a decade ago in search of a new chapter. ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS 14
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