In the beginning of July, the 2012 4-H Ontario Ambassador embarked on the annual Ambassador Sponsor Tour. This tour gives the Ambassadors a chance to meet the 4-H Ontario Ambassador Program’s sponsors GROWMARK, Inc. and UPI Energy LP, and gain a little intel on what these companies are all about. 4-H Ontario Ambassador, Steven Stockdale, shares his experience on the tour below. ____________________________________________________________________________ An Eye Opening Experience at the 2012 4-H Ontario Ambassador Sponsor Tour By Steven Stockdale Steven Stockdale I recently took part in the 4-H Ontario Ambassador Sponsor Tour on Thursday July 5th. I was joined by my fellow 4-H Ontario Ambassadors and 4-H Ontario staff representatives Marianne Fallis and Wraychel Horne. During the tour we visited many FS locations such as FS PARTNERS in Ayr, the GROWMARK, Inc. Ontario Distribution Centre in Kitchener, North Wellington Co-op in Harriston and the UPI Energy LP card lock and distribution centre in Guelph. A side trip during this tour was to the Stone Crock restaurant in St. Jacobs – what an amazing place to eat! The food there was just fantastic. If you know me, you know I like food. LOL.

Group shot

Tour group shot

My favorite part of the tour was stopping at FS PARTNERS in Ayr. The grain storage they had there is unbelievable. I’m from Peterborough, and we do not have grain storage facilities that are this impressive. It was like looking up to the Jolly Green Giant; I just couldn’t believe my eyes!

Grain storage

Grain storage bins at FS Partners

Another part of the tour that was intriguing was the test plots. It was interesting to see the partnership between the farmers and FS showing how to improve his fields and improving his crop yield over the long term with multiple crops.  This would be valuable for many farmers as most don’t just plant one year but many years.

Ambassadors on tour

The five 4-H Ontario Ambassadors: (from left to right) Victoria Kyle, Jennifer Pollock, Steven Stockdale, Julia Romagnoli, and Samantha Klaver

For me the tour was valuable because it really showed me, as well as the other Ambassadors, a first hand look at what our sponsors do and we learned how diverse the companies are. I feel proud to have such great sponsors for the 4-H Ontario Ambassador Program. About Steven Steven Stockdale grew up on his family’s dairy farm and has a passion for the 4-H program that has been passed down to him from his parents. He has completed more than 45 Club projects during his ten years as a 4-H Member and has attended multiple 4-H opportunities at the local, regional, provincial and national levels. Steven has held many 4-H Club executive positions including President and Vice President and even Youth Leader, as well as being a volunteer soccer coach in his community. All of these experiences demonstrate his strong leadership and teamwork skills. Steven’s ability to share his 4-H experiences with others while enhancing the Member experience for future generations are just two of the many qualities that make Steven an excellent Ambassador. Steven currently works at Sky Jack in Guelph as a Certified Welder.