In grade ten I took on another activity to go along with all my others and school work. This one was different though. It was at this point that I decided to take the Green Certificate course. If you haven't heard of it before it is a program that brings together Alberta Education and Alberta Agriculture to create a program geared towards youth in agriculture or those who are going into agriculture. At the very beginning you are given what looks like a giant text book full of information(in my case on sheep). The information is broken into three parts and you are given three years to complete it with two testing times a year. You must take a test on each of these sections and pass in order to receive your certificate.
There are so many options on what you can take your green certificate on. Mine was obviously sheep but there is also swine, dairy, cow/calf, beekeeping, equine, crop just to name a few. Again each book is broken down into three sections X, Y and Z tests. For mine the first section I did was on lambing and marketability, another was on culling and breeding and the final was on feeder rations and general farming upkeep. The first two sections are my passions. Working with the animals and lambing are my definite favourite so I needed a lot of dad's help when it came to "watching the grass grow" and endlessly amazing topic in my dad's eyes. In the end I was able to pass the tests. Yes I've said tests a few times but they aren't like any exam I've ever written. You meet with another member of your industry and simply talk. I found myself comparing breeds and getting invites to work on farms for the summer more than being graded or critiqued. Not only did I learn about other farms but I got to meet the farmers behind them and know that there is always someone out there that will help you or knows exactly what you are going through. I must say this is my favourite part of farming in general. It is rare to find a selfish farmer. We are the ones who live off the land, watch the grass grow and help bring young animals to maturity with our own hands. Its a passion, one we want to share. I am surrounded my dairy farmers, cattlemen and other shepherds and there is never a day that goes by that I feel alone in agriculture. This, more than anything, is what Green Certificate helped me learn. Oh and by the way I earned 16 high school credits while doing it! I hope that all of you that live on a farm take a little bit of time and try the Green Certificate program. Its worth every minute.
