Ontario Queen of the Furrows to make appearance at Warren Fair

When Derika Nauta is home, you will find her doing everything from milking the cows to picking rocks out of the field.

It is all in a days work for someone who grew up on a farm near Tavistock, Ont.

And add to that, her job this year is to be an ambassador for the agricultural world in the province.

This weekend, she will be sharing her knowledge at the Warren Fair, east of Sudbury.

Nauta says she's fielded lots of interesting questions during her reign so far.

"They range from, it can be as simple as brown cows don't make chocolate milk to even just how farming works," she said.

"A lot of people may not know that farming is actually 24/7 right. We don't get to take holidays on Christmas. I'm still in the barn milking the cows or yesterday I was out picking rocks in the field."

That is all part of the role of the Queen of the Furrow. But winning the crown was a feat in itself.

The competition happens at the International Plowing Match each year.  The contestants are interview by the judges, have to make a short speech on agriculture and then they have to plow a piece of land.

"We actually get ranked on how straight it is. How even the furrows are, so how much dirt is flipped over, and how even that is spread across and your exit and entry points," she said.

Nauta says she is honoured to be able to share her knowledge and love of agriculture.

"My speech was about decreasing the barriers between rural and urban and how people in agriculture should be our own advocates," she said.

This weekend, Nauta says she can't wait to answer any questions people may have. And, she says, no matter how much work it is to be a farmer, she is grateful to be able to do be out in nature and spending time with animals and being involved in her community.

Along with her duties as Queen of the Furrows, Nauta is also going to school in London to be a naturopath.  She says she would like to return to her community on day and open up a practice.

"Mental health with farmers and people who are in agriculture sometime get overlooked and I feel like that is one of the roles I can kind of play in our community in the future."

Nauta will also be at the International Plowing Match in September that is being held in Verner this year. That is also when a new Queen will be crowned.