A special agricultural event for local students in the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) was held Wednesday in Listowel.
The event was called Tractors, Tailgates and Tough Talks, and was attended by Specialist High Skills Major Ag students from Clinton, Listowel, Mitchell and Wingham.
The Listowel Ag Society hosted the event at the ag hall in Listowel, and Ag Society President Caroline van der Heiden, says it was important to showcase ag careers for the students.
"We want them to see how viable agriculture is in our community and around the province and country. There's more to it than just farming, there's a vast array of employment opportunities," van der Heiden said.
In partnership with the Ag Society, AMDSB and numerous local partners, the students were treated to a large handful of displays put on by a wide range of presenters.
That included Equipment Ontario, Premier Equipment, Brussels Agri-Service, Berlett Farms, North Perth Fire Department, OPP, Municipality of North Perth Ag Specialist and Set7 Skills and Technology Training Coordinator.
John (JD) Kuepfer, the Head of Cooperative Education and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Coordinator / Agriculture SHSM Program Lead at Listowel District Secondary School had a big part in putting the event together.
On top of the educational aspect, van der Heiden says the event had a special focus on farm safety, as well as another important topic.
"They're also touching on the mental health aspect at this event, as well. So that is pretty important to the Listowel Ag Society because we had done, in the past, a fundraiser to raise money for mental health. So it is great to tie the two of them together because we do know that agriculture can be stressful," she pointed out.
She adds it was extremely encouraging to see the engagement from the students and their interest in agriculture.
"We have a future. Seeing these young people out there is our future. Being an older farmer, I like to see that there's young people coming in. Not only for farming, but also for the industries that build farming. Your equipment operators, your technical communities, it just broadens the horizon," van der Heiden added.
The mental health aspect of farming, van der Heiden noted, is always top of mind.
"The Ag Society, in the past, made a video called The Farmer's Toolbox, which we are very proud of. We were able to raise money back in 2019 to fund this video, so that is a key tool that is also out there for the agricultural community," she shared.
You can find that here: https://www.thefarmerstoolbox.com/
Currently, there are 4 schools in the Avon Maitland District School Board that offer the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Program in Agriculture: Central Huron Secondary School (Clinton), Listowel District Secondary School (Listowel), Mitchell District High School (Mitchell) and F.E. Madill Secondary School (Wingham).
All were represented at the event with students in grade 11 and 12. Listowel's Ag SHSM program began in 2020 and has 40-50 students with close to a 50/50 girls/boys ratio.
Jessica Chateauvert, Pathways Coordinator, Specialist High Skills Major Board Lead for AMDSB, says making the event happen is really rewarding.
"These groups have done a really great job of connecting with one another and providing some opportunities for the students in different communities in our area to be able to expose these kids to a wide variety of experiences in ag," Chateauvert said. "We're trying to expose them to some of the potential careers that are out there, and even some of the people here today, to hear about their journey to where they've ended up now, they've had multiple opportunities within the ag industry. It all comes back to kind of promoting things in our area that they might leave, but ultimately, we hope they come back."
Chateauvert adds that the mental health aspect of the event was something that AMDSB put a lot of value in, because student mental health is something that is extremely important.
"It's such a focus for staff and for students, and just kind of trying to break down the stigmas and make sure that they know of the supports that are available. I think in the ag community, those conversations are really important," she concluded.
Lexi Johnston, 2025-2026 CNE Ambassador of the Fairs and LDSS alum, spoke to the students before the keynote speaker, Shannon McGavin, the CEO, Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Director of Stakeholder Engagement with The Well Community Collective.
The press package for the event shared that "The Well Community Collective connects the realities of mental health and agriculture with the supports available through The Well Youth Hubs, highlighting how farm stress impacts young people and how wrap-around, youth-designed services provide safe spaces for care."
You can find out more about The Well Community Collective here: https://www.thewellcc.ca/.
Also, you can learn more about the AMDSB's Specialist High Skills Major ag program here: https://www.amdsb.ca/apps/pages/shsm.
