Growing up, Jada Dawson never lived on a farm or participated in 4-H Clubs.
She contends, though, “You don’t have to live on a farm to be involved with agriculture.… The fact (is) we are all rooted in agriculture, because at the end of the day, we all eat food. There are thousands of things that make us different, but we all have to eat.”
While she had an appreciation before, Dawson is a lot more aware of the agricultural industry and the people who power it after having just wrapped up her year-long term as Caledonia Fair Ambassador for the Caledonia Agricultural Society (CAS), which culminated in the annual Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Ambassador of the Fairs competition.
The competition ran over the first weekend of the CNE. On the Friday and Saturday, 56 ambassadors from across Ontario participated in interviews and workshops covering topics that ranged from biography writing, to posture and poise, to self-defence and mental health. The main competition was on the Sunday, and at the end, Dawson was the first runner up.
“I was pretty stoked about it,” she said, adding that while of course everyone wants to win, for her and the other competitors, the greater focus was on making sure to get something meaningful out of the weekend and doing one’s personal best.
Dawson said when she reflected on her performance in the different stages of the competition, “I would not have changed the way that I did any of them. My delivery, I was proud of; my presence, I was proud of.… I don’t think I could have felt any better, regardless of the outcome.”
It was a fulfilling finish to a great 12 months, she said.
“The entire year, there was never a part of me that thought, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t have done this,’ or ‘Maybe this isn’t for me.’ It was 100% for me, and it’s 100% for everyone, I would argue, no matter your background, no matter what you plan to do in your future. There’s something to take away for everyone from this experience,” Dawson said. “The learning, the community, and the connection were really standouts for me, because I got to keep learning throughout my experience, both locally and competing at the CNE.”
While many of the other ambassadors came from an agricultural background, the fact that she didn’t was a big draw for Dawson.
“What interested me a lot about this position initially was the opportunity to learn more about agriculture – the roots that it has in our community and the people in our community – and to grow in my appreciation of where I’m from and the community that I live in,” she said.
Throughout her term as the Caledonia Fair Ambassador, Dawson “had the opportunity to learn from and connect with people” from across Ontario at a variety of events.
“In doing that, I have learned a lot about agriculture and my role that I play in my community with agriculture, and thereby also extending my appreciation for the work that our volunteers, our farmers, our community members do as well.”
Rather than a singular ‘aha’ moment, Dawson said it was a year of learning about the many different facets of the agricultural industry. For instance, when there’s a drought, it will impact individual crops in different ways, but it could also have a big impact on local farmers’ mental and financial health. Another issue Dawson became more aware of was how the growing demand for more residential, commercial, and industrial builds is pushing on rural properties.
“I’m learning how much of a gap there is for people who, like myself, may not have grown up in a predominantly deeply rooted agricultural background. Those in our more urban areas don’t necessarily have the knowledge of why agriculture is important, what their role is,” Dawson said.
While her time as the Caledonia Fair Ambassador has ended, Dawson plans to continue to help close that knowledge gap through her career. She’s currently in her final year at Teachers’ College in the intermediate/senior stream, meaning she’ll be qualified to teach Grades 7 to 12.
While Dawson is predominantly qualified to teach drama, French, and physical education/health, she sees a lot of opportunity to work a greater awareness of agriculture into her lesson plans.
“We don’t talk heavily about agriculture in any curriculum, but why not?” Dawson asked. “We can find ways to insert that knowledge and that advocacy in ways that make sense but also give younger people that knowledge that they might not get otherwise.”
Dawson strongly encourages anyone else who is thinking about entering the Caledonia Fair Ambassador competition to go for it. Not only will they learn more about agriculture, but there are also opportunities to develop skills like communication and networking.
“There truly is something for everyone, regardless of who you are, what you want to do,” she said. “Anyone who’s asking themselves, ‘Why should I do this?’ My response is, why not? You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
The biggest thing gained for Dawson, though, was experiencing the support of her community.
She shared how during the CNE competition, not only were her friends and family in the audience to root for her, but there were also many people from the CAS.
“To see that support and to know that they were all out there, cheering me on was just this incredible feeling that I will never forget,” she said.
