Ridgetown graduates 91 ag diploma students
Farmers Forum staff
RIDGETOWN — The Class of 2024 graduated last month from the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus, including 91 newly minted holders of the school’s associate diploma in agriculture — down from 112 last year, but still the largest single discipline at the institution.
Agricultural graduate Lara-Nicole Cochrane addressed the students on behalf of her fellow “aggies” at the June 7 ceremony. She did not grow up on a farm but said she chose Ridgetown because it provided the “opportunity to immerse myself in the culture of farming and for the hands-on learning opportunities.”
Small class sizes and close connections with professors “made for a truly unique educational experience,” she added. “To the class of 2024, we have taken the first step towards becoming what we want, and who we want to be.”
She later said she plans to become a plumber and the “goal is to have a farm but you have to make money to get there.”
The commencement graduated 214 students, including 91 aggies and 123 students from other programs (including equine, environmental management, horticulture, veterinary assistant, dairy herd person). Rather than a single valedictorian (often an aggie), the graduation format was changed three years ago to hear from top graduates from each program.
In pre-Covid 2019, Ridgetown graduated 266 students, including 157 in the two year agricultural diploma.
MEET THREE OF THIS YEAR’S GRADUATES
Lara-Nicole Cochrane
Lara-Nicole Cochrane, 23, London, Ont.
Associate diploma in agriculture
Background: Cochrane didn’t come from a farm, though her father’s family has a cattle operation in New Brunswick. She’s an avid gardener and volunteers with the London-Middlesex master gardeners and an urban farm called Urban Roots. “I’ve always been interested in feeding the people.”
Achievements: Cochrane racked up 14 scholarships, awards and prizes at Ridgetown. At the graduation ceremony she earned five awards, including for best all-round student and the academic proficiency award in agriculture. She was on student council and said she conducted the first diversity, equity and inclusion survey. More recently, she formatted the OMAFRA agronomy guide and edited the soybean section for Ontario government soybean specialist Horst Bohner.
College highlight: Hosted the school’s first ever International Women’s Day panel that featured seven alumni showcasing their leadership skills. The event also drew about 30 students. “The fact that we were able to do something for International Women’s Day when there hasn’t been anything happening before, I thought it was great.”
Summer plans: Working in maintenance at Camp Woodeden, a camp for youth with disabilities, on the outskirts of London, and continues to edit the agronomy guide.
Future plans: Enrolled in the plumbing program at Algonquin College. “I really like the trade, so I was thinking of getting into plumbing so I could make sure there’s the cash to buy a farm. The goal is to have a farm, but you’ve got to make the cash to get there.”
Kierstyn Hogan
Kierstyn Hogan, 20, Napanee, Ont.
Associate diploma in agriculture
Background: Hogan grew up competing in the western horse-riding sport of barrel racing. She was raised on a hobby farm with beef cattle, sheep, goats and chickens. For the past several years, she has worked on a dairy and cash-crop farm.
Achievements: She “learned a whole lot” seeing the cash-crop-focused agricultural industry in Ridgetown area, in contrast to her own region with more beef and dairy. “It was a lot of fun learning about both the crops and animals.”
College highlight: “Definitely, the one-on-one and the contact you get with the professors. It’s not huge … so you really get to learn with your teachers, and it’s so much more hands on and stuff, which made the experience so amazing.”
Summer plans: To continue working at a dairy and cash-crop farm
Future plans: To earn an agricultural degree at the main University of Guelph campus. She also hopes to become a large animal veterinarian.
Bryan Coates
Bryan Coates, 31, Belleville, Ont.
Associate diploma in agriculture
Background: Coates grew up on a dairy farm in Belleville, which was sold after his father died in October 2020. He went on to work at RJ Farms in Corbyville and Hidden Creek Farms in Roslin before entering Ridgetown in 2022. He had graduated in 2018 from Brock University with a BA in the dramatic arts with an eye to becoming a teacher. “But I decided to stick with my passion, which was agriculture, specifically dairy farming.”
Achievements: He met his “goal number one,” which was graduating with distinction. He also expanded his agricultural knowledge beyond the dairy realm, including a better understanding of beef production, which often goes “hand in hand” with the dairy sector, he said.
College highlight: He points to the teachers at Ridgetown and the practical information they taught their students. They were “always looking for input from the students to improve the quality of their teaching. They were also willing to put in 100 % towards the students who were willing to learn.”
Summer plans: To continue working at Beckridge Holsteins in Keswick.
Future plans: Coates hopes to land a dairy industry position that will “better serve” Ontario dairy farmers as a whole. “I’m hoping to get a job to help speak on behalf of dairy farmers to the public and the rest of Canada. To be honest, I don’t know what that looks like yet, but that is my long-term goal.”
