In 2007, Leona Dargis and her 4 younger sisters experienced the unimagineable. Their parents, Jean and Joanne Dargis, as well as their grandmother Anita Dargis, were killed in a plane crash near Swan Hills, Alberta. The 5 girls, two of them still in high school at the time of the accident, were faced with the challenge of succeeding their parents estate and making decisions of what would happen to the family farm.
We had the privilege of interviewing Leona and hearing the story of how these 5 amazing young women not only carried on their parents farm business for the past 8 years, but more importantly, what they learned from the years that they had with their parents on the farm.
“Mom and Dad supported us to be who we wanted to be, and do what we wanted. It wasn’t to stay on the farm, it wasn’t to go away from the farm, it was totally just ‘pursue your passions and follow your dreams’, and if something doesn’t work out then try something new.”
Leona’s own path has been an incredible journey, including a Nuffield scholarship that took her around the world and added a global perspective to her understanding of the issues facing farmers around succession planning. And now, her career in public speaking offers her the chance to inspire many more people to live life to its fullest. But what really took me by surprise was what Leona plans on doing next, which she talks about at 5:06 into the video. Leona, as well as her 4 sisters, have an enthusiasm for life, a work ethic, and a passion for agriculture that are sure to take them to unbelievable places and make their parents very, very proud.
Source: Farmon.com
