Today I live in Winnipeg, but my journey began in the deep south of Ontario, watching a way of agricultural life fade into the history books on my family’s tobacco farm.
Growing up near Tillsonburg, I worked on tobacco, ginseng and vegetable operations before heading on to the University of Toronto. There I nurtured a long-smouldering passion for journalism and world cultures, but never gave up my interest in agriculture, bringing a useless rain gauge from one tiny apartment to the next, guerrilla gardening where I could.
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In a fit of post-university ambition and youthful optimism, I moved to rural Manitoba on a week’s notice to report for thePortage Daily Graphicbefore transferring to theWinnipeg Sun.I haven’t looked back.
Most recently I strolled the halls of the provincial legislature as a political communicator, receiving a second education on how political systems function and the forces that affect changes in government.
However, my desire to report and write never faded. I jumped at the opportunity to join theManitoba Co-operator and return to journalism.
Throughout my travels and travails I’ve remained firmly rooted in my respect for farmers. Agriculture is not just an industry, it’s a way of life, it’s the food we eat and the basis of human civilization.
I look forward to meeting producers, learning new things and investigating emerging challenges as I grow into my position at theManitoba Co-operator,a position that will no doubt bear fruit for years to come.
