Young Farmer Earns Education Bursary

Catherine Reynolds | Jul 20, 2016

Josh Bennett is a young man doing an old job.

Happiest when he’s covered in dirt from working the land, Josh is the fifth generation of his family to work as a farmer.

“I like tending to the animals and doing crops,” the friendly 18-year-old confirms from his family’s sheep farm, which covers 600 acres in Inverary, Ontario. “I like being outdoors.”

Filled with plans to continue his family’s tradition of selling sheep meat/wool and cash crops, Josh is poised to leave the farm behind to embark on a post-secondary education.

For some, it is bittersweet to leave what you love just to learn how to do it better.

For Josh, he’s grateful for a show-of-support from the farming community.

“It will help a lot,” he says with sincerity about a recent grant from the Frontenac Federation of Agriculture (FFA).

“I appreciate the help.”

The FFA says Josh qualified for the $500 education bursary because of his farming background and five years with 4-H.

Josh intends to use the money to pay for two years of agriculture classes at Ridgetown Campus near London, Ontario.

With a focus on agriculture, food, the environment and rural communities, the campus is a division of the University of Guelph. It has been part of the Ontario Agriculture College since 1997.

Once he earns his diploma, Josh will return to the family farm to continue raising more than 1,800 sheep.

“Josh is a good guy and we feel we have a good representative from Frontenac County to go on to Ridgetown,” says President Gary Gordon when asked about the FFA’s opinion of this year’s award winner.

Speaking on behalf of the FFA, which is composed of farmers across Frontenac County who volunteer their time to act as the frontline of a national organization, he notes, “This farm is one to try new technology, which we like to see.

“He’s going to be the fifth generation (of his family) on the farm,” says Gary, impressed.

“We’re very pleased.”