Speakers

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Below is the list of speakers for the 2010 convention. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name. All speakers subject to change.

Margaret Appleby
Appleby graduated from the University of Guelph in environmental biology in 1976, and starting growing apples with her father for about 10 years. She worked with Agriculture Canada at Smithfield, Ont., in nursery production and IPM research. Margaret began working for OMAFRA as a regional IPM specialist in the Quinte area, and moved into the provincial IPM systems specialist position in 2000. Her recent projects include developing the Sustainable Grape Production protocols with the Vitcultural Roundtable of Southwestern Ontario, developing the FruitTracker pesticide records software, co-ordinating IPM training and education, including the Ontario Crop IPM online training, as well as field trials with difficult and new pests in several crops.

Sara Avoledo
Avoledo is the customer relations manager at OnTrace Agri-Food Traceability. She is responsible for all aspects of OnTrace customer relations as well as communications strategies. Previously, Sara worked as a project manager with the Ontario Institute of Agrologists, where she administered a multi-million dollar project to help incorporate foreign trained professionals into the agricultural industry in Ontario. Sara has also worked as an account coordinator with Agline/TI Communications.

Tery Bates
Bates is a senior research associate in Cornell University’s department of horticultural sciences and director of the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory. He has been conducting viticulture research in the Lake Erie grape production region for 12 years with an emphasis on optimum vine productivity and vineyard management efficiency.

Guy Bélair
In 1982, Bélair graduated from McGill University, with a master’s degree on the pathogenicity of the northern root-knot nematode in organic soils. Since then, he has been working as a research scientist in nematology at the Horticulture Research and Development Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Over the past 30 years, Bélair has been carrying out an extension research program in horticultural crops, and promoting cultural practices and alternative control method against major nematode pests. One major achievement was the successful introduction of pearl millet for the management of root-lesion nematode in various crops, including strawberry, potato and apple in Quebec. He is currently the leading scientist on the national research program on potato cyst nematodes in Canada.

Marcel Bergerman
Bergerman is a faculty member of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, PA, where he manages projects in autonomous helicopter flight, sensing for unmanned systems, and agricultural automation. From 2001 to 2005, Bergerman worked at the Genius Institute of Technology in Manaus, Brazil, as innovation manager. Previously, he was the coordinator of the Robotics and Computer Vision Laboratory at the Information Technology Institute in Campinas, Brazil, where he worked on Internet-accessible laboratories, autonomous robotic airships, and robotic manipulators. Bergerman has published extensively in the areas of robotics and innovation management. He received his PhD from CMU.

Elizabeth Bihn
Bihn is a senior extension associate in the department of food science at Cornell University. Betsy received her BSc in zoology from the Ohio State University and her MSc in horticulture from the University of Florida. She is the program coordinator for the National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program. The goal of the National GAPs Program is to reduce microbial risks to fresh fruits and vegetables through a comprehensive education and extension program for growers and farm workers. Bihn has co-authored many extension publications used by fresh produce growers to develop farm food safety plans and implement food safety practices. One of her current project is the GAPs Online Produce Safety Course, offered through the National GAPs Program, to provide access to training for growers in rural locations who may not be able to attend in-person trainings.

Peter Bosman
Bosman is from Smithville, Ont., owns and operates a 66-acre farm with 45 acres in orchard production. Lincoln Line Orchards grows many varieties of apples, plums and pears, including value-added products such as cider, pies, apple chips and preserves. Bosman sells at Weston, the East Lynn MyMarket (Toronto) and Smithville Farmers’ Market, plus his farm’s own on-site market and e-store. Bosman believes that “growing food is a demonstration of loving your neighbour” and he cherishes the opportunity that Lincoln Line Orchards provide. As the parents of six children, Bosman and his wife, Mary, recognize and are advocates for the health advantages of quality food from local sources. He is currently a MyPick™ Verified Local Farmer™.

Greg Brimblecombe
Brimblecombe was born and raised in Guelph, Ont. In 1982, he obtained an associate-ship in the Insurance Institute of Canada working as a field claims representative with Gore Mutual Insurance Company. Brimblecombe attended the University of Western Ontario Law School starting in 1989 and graduated in June 1992. He was called to the Bar in February 1993 and has been working as a lawyer since that time. He became a partner with the law firm of Mollison McCormick of Kitchener, Ont., dealing mainly in insurance litigation.

Darell Brown
Brown is with Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP, a broad labour law practice representing trade unions, professional associations and employees in all labour and employment law matters, including grievance and interest arbitration, labour board matters, pay and employment equity cases, pension and benefits law, workers’ compensation issues, disability claims, employment standards disputes, and occupational health and safety issues. SGM also offers services in the areas of mediation and alternative dispute resolution, as well as business and real estate law.

Reginald Brown
A native of Florida, Brown was raised on a family vegetable farm in Alachua County. Brown’s Farm has operated a farm retail market for more than 50 years at its location in Orange Heights. Brown has a BSc in agriculture and a MSc in agriculture from the University of Florida. Brown served with the United States Marine Corps, after which he held a number of horticultural extension positions in North Carolina and Florida. He has worked at the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association as director of the marketing and membership division, where he managed grower’s exchanges for peppers, sweet corn, radish and other commodities. Brown was hired as manager of the Florida Tomato Committee in September 1999 and currently serves as executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange and is also the executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange.

Dr. Michael Brownbridge
Dr. Brownbridge is an insect pathologist specializing in biocontrol and IPM strategies for insect pests in horticultural and agricultural crops. He obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. In 2009, he took up the position of research director in horticultural production systems at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Current VRIC research projects are focused on the development of procedures, products and know-how to enhance the performance and uptake of bio-based IPM strategies in greenhouse floriculture, urban landscapes and nursery crops, and to provide information on the production of new crops for Ontario’s horticulture industry.

Kathryn Carter
Carter is the pome fruit IPM specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). She is based in Simcoe, Ont., and has been with the ministry since 2001. Carter works with growers, researchers, and industry to provide them with information on managing insects and diseases in Ontario apple orchards. Carter has an MSc in environmental biology from University of Guelph, and a BSc from Brock University. This year, her work has focused on conducting surveys to determine why apple scab was a significant problem in Ontario apple orchards in 2009.

Michael Celetti
Celetti is the program lead and plant pathologist for horticulture crops with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). He is responsible for monitoring plant disease issues and technology transfer to the Ontario agriculture industry. Celetti obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees in plant pathology at the University of Guelph. Prior to working with OMAFRA Celetti has worked at the Agriculture University in the Netherlands. Upon returning to Canada, Celetti worked as a plant pathologist for the Prince Edward Island Potato Marketing Board researching plant disease and nematode management in cereal, forage and legume crops. He worked with an international pesticide manufacturing company developing pesticides for the agriculture industry in western Canada. In 2006, Celetti received the Award for Achievements in Plant Disease Management from the Canadian Phytopathological Society.

Judy Chong
Chong has more than 40 years experience in the fresh produce production and procurement, marketing, plus retail and foodservice distribution. She has been a member of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) food safety working group since 1999 and was involved with the creation of that industry’s generic Repacking and Wholesale Food Safety Standard and HACCP Generic Model. CPMA works closely with the Canadian Horticultural Council. Since 2003, Chong has been president of the ProduceSmart Business Services Incorporated. She is a food safety/HACCP and quality consultant and auditor and has been auditing the Canadian Horticultural Council’s CanadaGAP program since 2006.

Bob Cobbledick
Cobbledick is a graduate of the University of Guelph. He has worked with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in different capacities but focused most of his time on developing the direct farm sales industry in Ontario. He was instrumental in building a strong foundation for the Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association (OFFMA). Since his retirement in 1996, Cobbledick has been consulting with the Canadian Farm Business Management Council, OFFMA, Farmers’ Markets Ontario and the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Cobbledick loves to spend time with his grandchild and makes it a focus as often as he can.

Lori Colborne
Colborne is a passionate, captivating, fast-paced presenter and educator who brings to her clients, audiences, and readers more than 20 years of proven marketing and business successes. She is the president of LSL Marketing Consultants, an international keynote speaker, trainer and author of Innovative Marketing Made EASY!

Caroll Collins
Collins is excited by the consumers’ increasing interest in the food they eat. Through a newsletter and website, she offers cooking tips and recipes. Each year, Collins, together with her husband, Ken, review requests from consumers regarding adding new vegetables. Together with their daughters and other knowledgeable staff, the Collins attend the SickKids Hospital, Bloor Borden, and the East Lynn Park MyMarkets, plus the Weston Farmers’ Market. They reside in Flamborough, Ont., and are a MyPick™ Verified Local Farmer™.

Doreen Collins
Collins has been with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for the past 28 years in a variety of positions. Her current position in the business management unit involves working with farmers and related stakeholders regarding farm diversification and value-added, with particular focus on new marketplace opportunities. Raised on a farm and currently living in the country, Collins has a keen interest in the economic and social health of rural communities and a flourishing agriculture and food sector for Ontario. Collins has a diploma of agriculture from the University of Guelph, plus a BA and BSW from the University of Waterloo.

John Cooper
John Cooper, with his wife Diane and father Gary Cooper, operates StrawberryTyme farms near Simcoe Ontario. StrawberryTyme produces nursery plants of strawberry, raspberry, asparagus, black currants, and is a distributor of different raspberries, blueberry and rhubarb plants. For the fresh market, Strawberry Tyme grows strawberries, raspberries and tomatoes, including 30 acres under high tunnels. They also operate a facility to process strawberries and a custom cooling business. StrawberryTyme is a Canadian distributor for Haygrove Tunnels. John has been a director for the Ontario Berry Growers Association and was recent recipient of the Ontario Berry Growers Association Award of Merit in 2005. He is actively involved in local minor hockey with his children Meg, Dalton and Mason

Dr. Kerik Cox
Dr. Cox established a program of tree fruit and berry research and extension at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in 2006. As a whole, his program focuses on the chemical management of fungal diseases of apple, stone fruit, and berries. Specific emphasis is placed on the biology, ecology, mechanisms, and prevalence of DMI and QoI fungicide resistance in brown rot and apple scab. Since the establishment of his program, Dr. Cox has been conducting fungicide resistance surveys and investigations in New York and the Northeastern United States.

Len Crispino
Crispino has served as assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and as the president and CEO of Ontario Exports Inc. While experiencing life in Italy, Crispino and his wife, Marisa, discovered the wonders of Amarone-style wines. The more they learned about them, the more excited they became of the prospect of bringing this incredible craftsmanship back with them to Ontario. In 2000, they acquired prime farmland in the Vineland area of the Niagara Peninsula where they then source and planted 40 acres of Amarone-inspired vines. After three years of carefully nurturing the vines, their first crop was harvested in 2004. In the time-held tradition of Amarone, they then proceeded to delicately dry their grape stock in a barn until each of the varietals were perfect for winemaking.

Dr. Jenifer DeEll
Dr. DeEll came to Ontario in January 2001 and is the fresh market quality program lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in Simcoe. Dr. DeEll was previously employed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.,where she developed and led a research program in postharvest physiology of horticultural crops. Previously, she worked with AAFC in Kentville, NS, where she worked with the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association investigating new technologies to improve long-term storage of apples. Dr. DeEll is currently involved in the use of anti-ethylene technologies (e.g. 1-MCP / SmartFreshTM, controlled atmospheres) to retard fruit ripening and control physiological disorders, investigating methods to improve packaging and handling of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Jason Deveau
Dr. Deveau holds a BSc (Hon) in biology and psychology from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, a MSc in plant cell physiology and metabolism from York University in Toronto and a PhD in plant cell electrophysiology from the University of Guelph. A long-standing member of the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists, he has received numerous academic and industrial awards, and holds a U.S. patent on a new device for constructing microelectrodes. For the last four years, Dr. Deveau was a senior consultant with a Toronto firm providing strategic and functional planning for academic institutions in Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East. Dr. Deveau returned to agriculture as the OMAFRA application technology specialist in 2008 and is working out of Simcoe, Ont.

Anne Marie Diotte
Diotte has worked on the development and implementation of the Growing Forward Business Development for Farm Businesses. She has a strong background in third-party delivery agreement management, program and policy development, issues management and communications. Throughout Diotte’s 24-year career with the Ontario Public Services, she has contributed to several ministry programs and partnerships. Prior to working with the Growing Forward file, Diotte worked on the Canadian Agricultural Skills Service (CASS) Program under the Agricultural Policy Framework and with the Strategic Communications Branch at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). She brings expertise in collaboration, project and performance management, strategic planning and program administration to the Growing Forward team.

Evan Elford
Elford recently joined the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) as a new crop development specialist based in Simcoe, Ont. Elford grew up on a farm in Cannington, Ont., and graduated from the University of Guelph with a MSc in plant agriculture. Prior to joining OMAFRA, he worked with industry associations, an overseas agricultural project, the University of Guelph, and a horticultural farm operation. Elford looks forward to working on production and marketing information for growers of new and specialty crops.

Cara Epp
Epp is an account director at Faye Clack Communications Inc., an agency that has specialized in strategic communications for the food industry for more than 30 years.

Everdale
Everdale is an organic farm and environmental learning centre. Its purpose is to teach sustainable living practices and operate an exemplary organic farm. Everdale offers a variety of hands-on educational experiences through farm apprenticeships, weekend courses and workshops, school programs and educational tours for the public. Everdale’s farm is part of the 50-acre property and also includes 200 acres of rented land. The farm focuses on vegetable production as well as grain, hay, livestock, and seeds. Dr. Melanie Filotas Dr. Filotas is the IPM specialist for specialty crops with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in Simcoe, Ont. Dr. Filotas is responsible for transferring new pest management information to producers of sweet potatoes, culinary herbs, tree nuts, tobacco and other specialty crops. Dr. Filotas works with growers, industry, researchers and ministry colleagues to identify pests and pest management solutions for new, transitional or low acreage crops. Dr. Filotas has a BSc in environmental science from Carleton University, and a PhD from Cornell University. Prior to joining OMAFRA, Dr. Filotas worked as a researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture looking at use of biopesticides, natural enemies and other reduced risk products to control insects in commercial greenhouses.

Dr. Helen Fisher
Dr. Fisher has more than 30 years of experience in vineyard management for fruit quality improvement. She has supervised 16 hectares of experimental vineyards and collaborated with soil scientists, pathologists, molecular biologists and many other practical viticulturists. Dr. Fisher has been involved in grape breeding for wine and table use, as well as specialty lines for neutraceutical purposes. She has developed production strategies for  maximizing vineyard productivity and efficiency without compromising fruit quality or over wintering ability, especially under less than ideal climatic conditions. Lately, Dr. Fisher has turned her program to focus on soil and organic matter management. Dr. Fisher was awarded the OAC Alumni Association Distinguished Extension Award for 2006 and outstanding contribution to northern viticulture from Vitinord 2009.

Pam Fisher
Fisher is the berry crop specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), based in Simcoe, Ont. She works with growers, researchers, industry, and other OMAFRA specialists to bring new technology and information to producers. She is editor of the Ontario Berry Grower newsletter, and Ontario Fruit Production Recommendations. Fisher delivers pest management training to berry crop scouts in Ontario, and is involved in field research and demonstration projects. She works closely with the Ontario Berry Growers Association, and the North American Strawberry Growers Association. She graduated from the University of Guelph, where she studied agriculture (BSc 1981) and entomology (MSc 1988).

Dr. Tom Forge
Dr. Forge grew up in small-town Kansas, studied biology at Kansas State University (BSc 1985), and then obtained his PhD in plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1990. In 2001, Dr. Forge assumed his current position at the AAFC-Agassiz Research Centre in the Fraser Valley, B.C. His work at Agassiz has been focused on the utilization of composts and other organic wastes in horticultural crops and the ecology of plant-parasitic nematodes associated with forage and small-fruit crops. Some of his current projects include examining population dynamics and impacts of ring nematodes on grapevines in the Okanagan Valley, as well as identification, population dynamics and impacts of stubby-root nematodes on blueberry.

Hanah Fraser
Fraser is the entomology program lead in horticulture with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). She is a graduate of the University of Guelph (BSc agriculture and MSc entomology). Previously, Fraser worked for several years with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on projects related to the optimization of mating disruption technology in tree fruit and grape. As the provincial entomologist for horticulture, she works with crop specialists and collaborates with industry to identify pest management solutions required for sustainable crop production. Fraser is responsible for monitoring provincial insect issues including invasive alien species, as well as the transfer of management information and technology to the Ontario agriculture industry. She was recently elected president of the Entomological Society of Ontario.

Hugh Fraser
Fraser is an extension agricultural engineer with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) at Vineland, Ont. He has been involved in a research project with wind machines over the past four years along with Kevin Ker, Ryan Brewster, Ken Slingerland and Helen Fisher. Fraser will be discussing best management practices involved in using wind machines.

Sigrid Gertsen-Briand
Sigrid Gertsen-Briand obtained a degree in Microbiology from McGill University and began her fermentation career in a quality control lab of Mosti Mondiale, a kit and fresh juice company in Montréal before working for Pelee Island Winery and consequently joining Lallemand in 2001. Sigrid is currently based near San Francisco, California. Lallemand, a world leader in yeast, bacteria and yeast derivatives, began producing oenological yeast in the early 1970's.   The company's focus has grown to include bacteria, enzymes, nutrients and fermentation aids for the wine industry.

Martin Gooch
Gooch is director of the Value Chain Management Centre. Located in Guelph, Ont., the centre is Canada’s only organization dedicated to researching and  assisting private businesses, industry organizations and governments support and enable the development of closely-aligned value chains in the Canadian and international agri-food and products industry. Gooch has worked in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. He has considerable experience in developing value chain alliances, a number of which have won international awards of excellence in product development and marketing. He holds farm management qualifications, a Master’s in value chain management, and is working on his PhD, which focuses on identifying how farmers can be encouraged to look at their business as part of a value chain, in turn leading to appropriate changes in management decisions and processes.

Gordon Graff
Originally from Perth, Ont., Graff has worked with architecture firms in Toronto, New York, and Honolulu. In 2005, he earned an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Waterloo after previous studies in urban planning and fine arts. Graff is currently completing his Master’s of architecture at the University of Waterloo with a thesis focusing on urban agriculture. His work with the concept of vertical farming has received international publication from sources like Azure, SPACE, the New York Times, and The Guardian, as well as appearing on Global TV and CBC Television.

Carl Halstead
Carl Halstead is installation manager with TunnelTech. TunnelTech is a division of B& C Nightingale Farms. TunnelTech specializes in the manufacturing, supply and construction of high tunnels, along with tunnel farming experience. They have 3.5 acres of strawberries under high tunnels at their research demonstration farm in LaSallette Ontario. TunnelTech is 2007 Premier's Award Winner for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.

Ruth Hazzard
Hazzard is an Extension educator and vegetable specialist with the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. She has a BA from Goddard College in Vermont and an MSc from the department of entomology from the University of Massachusetts. Since 1989, she has worked on IPM in vegetable crops with both organic and conventional farmers. Her research focus in the past five years has included reduced-risk and biological methods for pest control in sweet corn, management of flea beetles and striped cucumber beetles, use of perimeter trap cropping in Brassica and cucurbit crops, and use of shelled corn for greenhouse heat. Hazzard leads the UMass Extension vegetable program, and chaired the Northeast Vegetable IPM Working Group from 2002 to 2009. In 2008, she started a student farming enterprise in which students grew organic vegetables and marketed them on campus, receiving academic credit and practical farming experience.

Sue Hilborn
Sue and Don Hilborn started Red Barn Berries, which is located two miles northwest of Woodstock, Ont. The couple are both graduates of the Ontario Agriculture College, Sue with a diploma in agriculture and Don a Master’s in engineering. Red Barn Berries currently consists of nine acres of strawberries, both pick-your-own and ready picked. They also have a 9,000 sq ft greenhouse where they produce vegetables, including 11 varieties of tomatoes and hydroponic lettuce and salad greens. In addition to strawberries, they grow asparagus, peas, beans and culinary herbs. The operation’s produce is marketed from May to October from their farm store, plus three farmers’ markets in Woodstock and Stratford. Sue and Don’s three children are all currently at school in Guelph, Belleville and Woodstock. Hilborn enjoys entertaining, reading and cooking in the off-season. But her favourite time of year is the five weeks during strawberry season.

Allen Holstein
After finishing a Master’s at the University of Kentucky in horticulture, Holstein followed up with post-graduate studies at Oregon State University. Beginning in 1980, he started working as the vineyard manager for Knudsen Erath. In the late 1980s, Holstein began a contract vineyard management business under the umbrella of Argyle Winery, where he was also in charge of grape sourcing for the Argyle Brand. Subsequently, he developed the Domaine Drouhin Estate. As a result, Holstein had many opportunities to explore Burgundy to visit the famous Burgundian vineyards, where the Drouhin family is based. In the 1990s, he began planting and developing the Stoller family vineyard and winery. As part of the vineyard business, Holstein has nurtured a sideline nursery business. He owns and operates his own vineyard in the Dundee Hills where he lives with his teenage son, Jackson.

Dave Hooper
Hooper is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and has been involved in the wine industry for 15 years. He has worked in all aspects of wine  production, including the vineyards and lab. For the last 12 years, Hooper has been the cellar master at Cave Spring Cellars and has taught the cellar operations and technology course at Niagara College for four years. He is currently involved with winery process planning, sustainability, food safety, technological advisement, and equipment design.

Leslie Huffman
Huffman has been working for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) at the Harrow, Ont., office since 1981. In August 2008, she became the Ontario apple specialist. For the previous 12 years, Huffman was the weed management specialist for horticultural crops across the province. Her other assignments with OMAFRA include horticulture and IPM for fruit and vegetable crops in Essex and Kent counties. Huffman grew up on a mixed farm near Harrow, Ont., which developed her interest in horticulture. She received her BSc in horticultural science from the University of Guelph. After graduation, Huffman worked for Ciba-Geigy Seeds in research, taught horticulture at Ridgetown College, and worked in vegetable crops extension before returning to Harrow. She and her husband, Doug Balsillie, operate a fruit farm near Harrow with their four daughters.

Becky Hughes
Hughes is the manager of the Seed Potato Upgrading and Distribution or SPUD Unit, and a researcher for the University of Guelph, stationed at New Liskeard, Ont. Hughes has been with the SPUD Unit since it began producing nuclear seed potatoes for the Ontario seed potato industry in 1984. Under her direction, the SPUD Unit has expanded to include the Ontario Berry Growers Association plant propagation program and other crops. Hughes’ current research program involves everything from investigating tissue culture techniques and greenhouse nuclear production, to field trials for berry and vegetable crops. Hughes is one of three research partners in the University of Guelph’s dayneutral strawberry trials.

Dave Hutchinson
Hutchinson is currently the orchard manager at Global Fruit in the Georgian Bay apple-growing region of Ontario. He was raised on a fruit and vegetable farm in Thornbury, Ont., and carries forward many years of apple growing experience. Hutchinson has been heavily involved in the evolution of high density apple growing in Ontario, and incorporating environmentally friendly practices. He has helped develop a number of innovative tools, such as a two row tree planter guided by GPS, a chemical reducing tunnel sprayer, a custom picking machine, and other orchard equipment. Hutchinson has travelled abroad researching and drawing experience in many aspects of apple growing, including cultivar selection, planting techniques, support systems, pruning formats, and nutrient management. Hutchinson looks forward to the future of apple production in Ontario.

Kevin Ker
Ker is an independent viticultural and IPM researcher/specialist providing consulting services in Ontario, across Canada and internationally. He has authored numerous publications and made presentations at international conferences and symposia as an invited speaker. Currently, in addition to consulting and operating the regional grape IPM program, Ker is a research associate and professional affiliate of CCOVI at Brock University working on wind machine use, vine hardiness assessment, MALB monitoring, teaching degree courses and has recently completed his PhD.

Christoph Kesel
Kessel is the horticulture crop nutrition program lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), based in Guelph, Ont. After graduating from the University of Guelph, he worked in the nursery industry before joining OMAFRA. Kessel works with industry associations, researchers and ministry colleagues to improve crop fertility management in horticultural crops through research projects, demonstrations and workshops.

Ruth Klahsen
Klahsen is Monforte Dairy’s owner and lead cheese maker and a veteran chef whose cuisine is well known to patrons of Rundles and the Old Prune in Stratford, Ont. A graduate of the inaugural class of 1983 at the Stratford Chefs School, Klahsen is past chef at the Stratford Festival’s Green Room restaurant, simultaneously teaching at the Chefs School. She began Monforte Dairy in 2004, which soon became known as southwestern Ontario’s premier artisanal cheese company. Monforte has doubled sales every year. Known for its range of extraordinary cheeses, Monforte is the supplier of choice to fivestar restaurants, leading wineries and progressive food retailers throughout Ontario. Klahsen is recognized as an innovative cheese maker and entrepreneur with a deep love of her craft.

Janice LeBoeuf
LeBoeuf is a vegetable crop specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), based in Ridgetown, Ont. She was raised on a farm in south Lambton and graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in crop science. LeBoeuf became involved in the vegetable industry initially through summer jobs with the Heinz Canada and Nabisco Canada research departments and with OMAFRA in Ridgetown. She worked as an agronomist and tomato operations manager for a large farming operation in Chatham-Kent for several years and also worked in research, extension and
agriculture input sales prior to her current job, which is focused on tomatoes, peppers, and sugar beets.

Lary Lutz
Lutz is a fifth generation fruit farmer from Nova Scotia. He received his BSc in agriculture with a major in plant science from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. He was employed in the plant aquaculture industry for a few years after college. Since 1988, Lutz has been involved in the tree fruit industry as an advisor, manager and grower. He served as a director of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association for many years, chairing a number of committees; is past director of the Nova Scotia Tree Fruit Research Foundation; is past president of the Grape Growers Association of Nova Scotia; and is a member of various farm organizations such as the Apple Farmers Association of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. Lutz has been employed by Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited as vice president of agricultural services for the past 17 years. He provides technical advice to more than 50 growers, including nutrient recommendations, pesticide advice, variety, and planting system recommendations.

Dr. Bill MacHardy
Dr. MacHardy received a PhD in plant pathology from the University of Rhode Island and received a post-doctoral fellowship to conduct research at the University of Guelph. He has conducted research on the biology, epidemiology and management of apple scab continuously since he arrived at UNH in 1972. He retired from UNH as an emeritus professor in 2001 but has maintained an active apple scab sanitation research program. His book, Apple Scab: Biology, Epidemiology, and Management, is recognized as the single most comprehensive treatment of a major plant disease ever published by the American Phytopathological Society. In recognition of his contributions to his profession and the advancement of knowledge on apple scab, he received the Award of Merit from the Northeast Division of the American Phytopathological Society in 1996, and was designated a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society in 2008, the society’s highest award.

Ray W. Mackenzie
Mackenzie got his start in agriculture on his family’s mix farming operation on Prince Edward Island. He has a diploma in agricultural engineering from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in agriculture engineering from McGill University. In 1992, Mackenzie
moved to southwestern Ontario and began working with Vanden Bussche Irrigation, where he is still employed today. During this time, he has worked on projects ranging from sports fields and landscapes to waste water and dust suppression. The main focus for Mackenzie in the last 10 years has been developing solutions for the irrigation of fruit and vegetable crops as well as nurseries and greenhouses.

Hugh Martin
Martin has been the organic crop production program lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) since 2001. He was worked in OMAFRA since 1980, holding the positions of weed management specialist and soils and crop specialist. Martin has worked with the organic sector in Ontario since the mid-1980s in a range of topic areas, including the Guelph Organic Conference and with the committee establishing the Canadian Organic Standards as well various committees at the national and provincial level working on organic production and marketing issues. Martin’s current area of interest is developing information resources for organic crop producers, identifying the needs of the organic sector and working to increase organic production in Ontario.

Harold McClarty
McClarty is the owner of HMC Farms, HMC Marketing, HMC Fresh Goods and McClarty Farms. He is a fourth generation farmer located in central California. HMC is one of the largest vertically integrated peach, plum and nectarine operations in California, shipping their products throughout the world. McClarty currently sits on boards at the California Grape and Tree Fruit League, California Tree Fruit Agreement, Western Growers Association, University of California at Davis Foundation Board and the Associated Fruit Producers Co-op. HMC Fresh is a leading producer and innovator of foodservice grapes, providing destemmed and portioned grapes on a year round basis. They have offices and operations in Chile, and product in Peru, and Mexico.

Jon McClarty
Jon McClarty, vice-president of HMC Fresh Foods has been working full time for HMC Marketing since 2005. Jon is currently involved in sales, marketing, and many tasks that help tie the sales and farm organizations together. Jon grew up in Reedley, California, and graduated from University of California San Diego with a degree in Psychology in 2003. Realizing that he would be returning to HMC, he pursued and received a post-graduate degree in Agricultural Business from California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo.

Dr. Mary Ruth McDonald
Dr. McDonald is University of Guelph program director of plant production systems research under the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and University of Guelph agreement. She is a professor in the department of plant agriculture at the University of Guelph. Her research programs focus on crop protection and integrated crop management of vegetables, including onions, carrots, leafy greens and crucifer crops. The emphasis is on disease to forecasting and management, IPM, screening for resistance, and contributing to and developing integrated crop management programs for these crops. Dr. McDonald received her BSc, MSc, and PhD from the University of Guelph, where she specialized in plant protection and plant pathology. She has taught vegetable production at the University of Guelph for several years.

John Molenhuis
Molenhuis is a business analysis and cost of production program lead for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). He is based in Brighton, Ont., and has a BSc in agricultural business from the University of Guelph. Before joining OMAFRA, Molenhuis worked with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing in their farm business management section and as a loan officer for the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board. He grew up on a farrow-to-finish hog operation outside of Strathroy, Ont.

Adam Montri
Montri is an outreach specialist in the horticulture department at Michigan State University (MSU) where he coordinates outreach efforts for the MSU Student Organic Farm (SOF), focussing on hoop-houses, high-tunnels, sustainable and organic production plus marketing with both urban and rural farmers across Michigan. Montri was one of the original student organic farmers while an undergraduate at MSU. He received his Master’s in horticulture from Penn State University, where he focused on organic high tunnel tomato production. He and his wife, Dru, and daughter, Lydia, own and operate Ten Hens Farm in Bath, MI.

Graham Moore
Moore is with Farm Advisory Services Team (FAST), a specialist private company providing professional advice on all aspects of fruit growing. Established in 1980, FAST is now the largest provider of advice to fruit growers in the United Kingdom. Although providing advice on all fruit crops, Moore is currently specialising in berry fruits, tunnel production and biological, organic, zero residue techniques.

Paul Moyer
Moyer is an eighth generation Niagara farmer who has grown and developed many new food products that are sold both locally and abroad. He has degrees in agriculture marketing and economics from Auburn University and the State University of New York. He has spent his life in the produce business in places like Australia, New Zealand, Central America and the U.S. Moyer understands trends and is on the forefront of what will happen next in the ever-changing produce and grocery business.

Josee Owen
Josée Owen graduated from Macdonald Campus of McGill University in 2000 with a Master's degree in Horticultural Science. Since then, she has worked as an agrologist creating agro-environmental plans for farmers, as a science writer for a research team, and for the past eight years, as a Research Biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. In her current work, she studies sustainable cropping systems for vegetable crops in the Maritimes, with a strong emphasis on long term organic rotational systems.

Vincent Philion
Mr. Philion is a plant pathologist dedicated to apple diseases since 1995. He started is career at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., where he worked on bio-control of apple scab. In 1998, he took on a research and extension position for the Quebec government at the Institute for Research and Development in Agri-Environment (IRDA) in Saint-Bruno, Que. Mr. Philion is an invited member of the European apple scab research workgroup. His work is centred around apple scab and fire blight epidemiology.

Steve Pohorly
Pohorly is a fruit grower on a family run farm located in Virgil and Niagara-on-
the-Lake, Ont. The farms have a mix of tree fruits, table grapes and wine grapes. The family has a seasonal farm market and one acre of high-density dwarf cherry trees grown in plastic tunnels to protect the fruit from birds, rain and hail. Pohorly has a civil engineering degree from McMaster University, was a computer programmer for the Bank of Montreal, a bartender at the Keg Restaurant in Vancouver, B.C. and has been back full-time on the family farm for the past seven years. Along with farming, Pohorly is currently a director of the Grape Growers of Ontario and a delegate to the Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.

Philip Powell
Powell was born and raised in the Ottawa Valley. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario, he had a brief career in banking before replying to a newspaper ad offering “an unusual and stimulating opportunity for a hands-on manager” with the City of Ottawa. He landed that job and has managed Ottawa’s famous ByWard and Parkdale markets for more than 20 years. Powell was a founding member of Farmers’ Markets Ontario and is presently serving as its chair. He was also involved in getting Savour Ottawa off the ground in 2006. He continues to sit on the Savour Ottawa steering committee. In 2009, he assumed responsibility for the city’s business licensing and enforcement sections in addition to the markets program. Known for his community driven approach to public and farmers’ markets and his passion for markets and local food, Powell is often called upon to share his expertise and stories, many about the sometimes unusual and always stimulating happenings at the ByWard Market.

Dr. Jean-Piere Privé
Dr. Privé is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), located at the Senator Hervé J. Michaud Research Farm in Bouctouche, NB. He has recently served as acting science director for the Potato Research Centre in Fredericton, NB, and the Brandon Research Centre in Brandon, MB. Dr. Privé’s research focus is environmental stress physiology, mostly on sustainable production systems for berry crops and apples. He is adjunct professor at Dalhousie University, the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and the Université de Moncton where he is currently teaching an advanced class on plant physiology. He enjoys outdoor activities, physical sports, mechanics, carpentry and gardening.

Kim Reep
Reep is the regional information co-ordinator with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food & Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Her role is to convey issues and concerns raised by growers and producers to the ministry and help facilitate solutions and encourage stakeholder awareness of various ministry programs and initiatives. Reep comes to OMAFRA from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, where she was a marketing consultant implementing domestic and international trade initiatives from ministry headquarters in Toronto. The bulk of Reep’s public relations career was focussed on special events. In the past, she has been the events manager for the Niagara Grape
& Wine Festival. Reep fostered the development of the Niagara Icewine Festival, which grew to encompass venues in Jordan and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. She was also involved in the creation of the prestigious Niagara Icewine Classic Weekend, which attracted a whole new upscale clientele.

Judson Reid
Reid is an extension associate with Cornell University’s vegetable program in New York State. His specialization is greenhouse and high-tunnel vegetable production with research projects in biological pest management, variety evaluation and grafting. Reid has degrees in international agriculture and plant protection from Cornell University. Reed has worked with high-tunnel farmers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Additionally, he manages a high-tunnel with his family in Penn Yan, NY.

Andrew Reynolds
Reynolds has been conducting research in grapes and wines since his MSc studies began in 1978. He is presently professor of viticulture with Brock University, St. Catharines, Ont. His education includes a BSc in horticulture major and an MSc in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Guelph, and a PhD from Cornell University. His responsibilities at Brock have included: development of a viticulture and enology curriculum; teaching; research; administration; and consultation. His research has examined the impacts of canopy management, crop level, training systems, etc. on wine grape composition and sensory quality. Over the past 10 to 12 years he has placed focus on use of geomatic tools (GPS and GIS) for understanding relationships amongst variables such as yield, fruit composition, vine vigour, soil moisture and texture, and vine water status, with the ultimate objective of discovering the basis for terroir.

Dr. Daren Robinson
Dr. Robinson currently conducts applied research with the goal of developing integrated control strategies for horticultural crops grown in conventional, reduced tillage and organictransition systems. His research focus is to improve timeliness of application, obtain new herbicide registrations through the User Requested Minor Use Label Expansion (URMULE) system, determine the effect of previous cropping practices on weed population shifts, and assess the potential of alternative practices, such as cover crop rolling or other cover crop systems to suppress weeds in vegetable crops.

Elaine Rody
Roddy is a vegetable crop specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), based in Ridgetown, Ont. She is involved in field research trials and extension, specializing in sweet corn, cucurbits, beans, peas and asparagus. Her responsibilities include all aspects of crop production, pest management and marketing. Current projects include nitrogen use efficiency in sweet corn, vine crop disease management, watermelon pollination, soil arthropod pests and sweet corn integrated pest management. Roddy is also the editor of the Ontario Vegetable Crop Recommendations (OMAFRA Publication 363).

Welcome Sauer
Sauer is global vice president for AgroFresh, makers of SmartFresh. He lives in Wenatchee, WA, where he has been actively involved in the tree fruit industry as president of the Washington Apple Commission, as a management consultant, and as a manager for the Dole Food Company. Sauer was raised on an orchard, then studied business and statistics at Brigham Young University. He later earned an MBA at the University of Chicago. He helped start and manage one of the largest consolidated apple sales agencies in the Washington industry. He now travels to every apple growing region in the world for AgroFresh.

Justin Scheiner
Scheiner is a PhD candidate at Cornell University. His dissertation research is based on physiology and cultural practices that affect wine grape quality with a specific focus on understanding how to manage methoxypyrazines.

Dr. Annemiek Schilder
Dr. Schilder, a native of the Netherlands, is an assistant professor in the department of plant pathology at Michigan State University. She has research, extension and teaching responsibilities in the area of small fruit pathology. Her research efforts focus on the diagnosis, epidemiology, and control of fungal diseases of small fruit crops, including blueberries, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries. She obtained her BSc from the University of Louisiana and her MSc and PhD degrees from Cornell University. She worked for three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria.

Harold Schooley
Schooley is a third generation apple grower from Simcoe, Ont. After graduating from the University of Guelph with a master’s degree, Schooley spent several years working with the agricultural chemical industry in field research and in marketing before returning to the family farm in 1976. He is chair of the research section of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, and a member of the board of directors of Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, Guelph Food Technology Centre and Norfolk Fruit Growers Association. He serves on the national science advisory committee for the Canadian Horticultural Council, on the stakeholders advisory committee for the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre and on the research committee for the Ontario Apple Growers. Currently, he is a certified on-farm food safety (OFFS) auditor under contract with QMI-SAI Global conducting CanadaGap farm audits. He is presently working on his credentials for assessing farms for GlobalGap.

Kevin Schooley
Schooley is a graduate of the University of Guelph who operates his own consulting business. The bulk of his time is spent as executive director of both the Ontario Berry Growers Association and the North American Strawberry Growers Association. During the summer months, Schooley continues to work with fruit and vegetable growers in eastern Ontario as an on-farm consultant. Previous work experience includes time with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Dr. Bill Shane
Dr. Shane specializes in tree fruit, with emphasis on peaches and peach breeding. His interests include integrated crop management, crop loss assessment, tree fruit breeding, tree fruit cultivar and rootstock evaluation, tree fruit training systems, plant disease diagnosis and predictive model development. Dr. Shane is stationed at the SW Michigan Research and Extension Center in the heart of the fruit-growing region where he directs applied projects on peach breeding, tree systems, and variety evaluation. He advises Michigan fruit growers on tree fruit management with emphasis on culture, varieties, and disease management.

Ken Slingerland
Slingerland has been with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for 33 years and the tender fruit and grape specialist for Ontario for the last 15 years. He provides leading edge technology to clients through packaged information, education and training, is involved in several grower committees and provides leadership in applied research and demonstration projects such as: the 2009 tender fruit tree census, CanAdvance pear storage trial with new pear cultivars, CanAdapt fire blight tolerant pear project, the wind machine project, evaluating peach, nectarine and apricot cultivars, co-lead for the cost of production for tender fruit and grapes in Ontario and is editor of the newsletter, the Tender Fruit Grape Vine.

Barbara Smith
Smith is the client account officer for the Foodland Ontario program. She works with Ontario’s producer groups and individual companies to increase market opportunities and prominence of Ontario grown foods. Smith has been with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for more than 11 years in various marketing and program roles promoting Ontario foods to the retail and foodservice sectors. This is Smith’s second career, her first being in the field of environmental and waste management as a technical analyst for seven years. She feels she’s made the right move along the continuum from output to input.

Donna Speranzini
Speranzini has worked for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for more than 14 years. She has been involved in pest management and crop production of both field and horticultural crops. Her current position is nutrient management planning specialist for horticultural crops, where she deals with the environmental implications of manure, biosolids and nutrients used in horticultural production systems. Speranzini is currently involved in the development of conservation and sustainability programs for nutrient management in muck soils and greenhouse operations. She is also involved with the development and delivery of the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan Program. Speranzini has a master’s in forestry and environmental science from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program.

Helmut Spieser
Spieser is the pesticide application specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) providing information on mechanics of droplet behaviour, nozzle selection, spray drift management, and new sprayer technology to farmers, students and agri-business. He has a BSc in engineering from the University of Guelph.

John Stanley
Stanley is a coach, consultant, author, speaker and trainer. He has been described as the Retail Guru and he has also been described as the leading horticultural consultant in the world today. His skills in perishable retailing: food, plants, flowers and pets, anything that cannot be put on a shelf and ignored, apply equally to all fields of retailing. His presentations are enthusiastic, charismatic and engaging.

Dr. Jay Subramanian
Dr. Subramanian completed his PhD at the University of Florida and has devoted more than 18 years to researching perennial fruit breeding and biotechnology. He is currently the stone fruit breeder and associate professor at the University of Guelph’s Vineland Station and is focusing on establishing tree fruit breeding and biotech research to address main theme is to develop varieties outside the existing window of cropping and also extend the stone fruit cultivation to nontraditional areas.

Mark Sweney
Sweeney is the berry industry specialist with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in Abbotsford, B.C. He has worked in horticulture extension for more than 30 years and currently works closely with several berry organizations on key applied research and development projects.

Dr. François Tardif
Dr. Tardif is an associate professor in the department of plant agriculture at the University of Guelph. His research programs focus on weed management and weed biology in field crops, with occasional forays into vegetable or fruit productions. One of his research focuses is the understanding of herbicide resistance in weeds so as to develop better resistance management programs. François received his BSc, MSc and PhD from Laval University in Quebec City, where he specialized in crop production and weed science. After completion of his studies, Dr. Tardif went on to work in Adelaide, Australia, specializing in herbicides resistance. Dr. Tardif has been at the University of Guelph since 1996, where he has taught weed science to graduate, undergraduate and diploma students and supervised eleven graduate students.

Bozidar Toic
“Ontario consumers should be fed by Ontario farmers,” declares Toic when discussing his passion for food sovereignty. An economist who was raised on a farm and has been farming for four decades, he pursues his belief by cultivating 30,000 square feet of greenhouse gardens as well as 60 acres of fertile Norfolk County loam. He produces a wide range of vegetables, both heirloom and unique varieties, which are marketed bearing the Bosco Farms Sweetee Belle logo. Toic is a MyPick™ Verified Local Farmer™ selling at Liberty Village, Bloor-Borden, SickKids Hospital, East Lynn Park, and Historic St. Andrew’s MyMarket locations, plus other farmers’ markets. Toic believes consumers are receiving unprecedented value in local fresh produce selection and availability.

Cheryl Trueman
Trueman joined the Ridgetown campus of the University of Guelph in July 2009. As a college professor of vegetable pathology and entomology, her duties include teaching and research in areas of crop protection and IPM. Trueman graduated from the University of Guelph (MSc) in 2006, where she studied integrated crop management of septoria late blight on celery and worked as the coordinator for the Muck Crops Research Station’s IPM program. Prior to her appointment to Ridgetown, Trueman worked as the research coordinator for the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) for two years. She was raised in southeastern New Brunswick on a dairy and wild blueberry farm.

Dr. Rene Van Acker
Dr. Van Acker is associate dean of external relations for the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph and a professor in the department of plant agriculture. Dr. Van Acker was previously a professor of weed science and crop management at the University of Manitoba. His research interests include weed seedling recruitment biology and ecology, robust cropping systems, multifunctional agriculture and the coexistence of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM crops. Dr. Van Acker conducts field based research, supervises graduate students and teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He grew up on a farm in southwest Ontario. Dr. Van Acker also serves with several agricultural organizations and is currently on the board of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists. He holds BSc and MSc degrees in crop science and weed management from the University of Guelph and a PhD in crop-weed ecology from the University of Reading in the UK.

Mike Van Ninhuys
Van Ninhuys is a food safety consultant and auditor with the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. Growing up in the Niagara Region, he has always had an interest in all things food. After receiving his degree in applied human nutrition, Van Ninhuys has worked in multiple aspects of the food industry, including health care and retail food service management. In 2006, he joined the staff of Safefood Consulting, providing support for farms implementing good agricultural practice programs, in addition to providing research and support services for other clients as part of the team. Van Ninhuys has been providing good agricultural practice auditing services for the Guelph Food Technology Centre since 2008 and CanadaGAP auditing services for QMI-SAI Global starting in 2009.

Maurice & Ingrid VandenBore
Maurice VandenBorre has been farming apples and peaches in Aylmer, Ont., for more than 40 years after emigrating from Belgium. He was raised on a small farm where his family grew tender fruit and raised livestock. His daughter, Ingrid, continues to assist and support her father when not occupied with her family and career as a massage therapist. VandenBorre has always enjoyed the challenges associated with fruit farming. His experience and ingenuity has allowed him to develop harvesting machines to decrease labour costs and increase efficiency. His harvesting platforms are multi purpose structures that can be used for pruning, hand thinning, and harvesting. Employees can continue to work, even during inclement weather, since the platform is covered. The platform increases productivity allowing workers to harvest multiple rows concurrently.

Mike Vanstenkiste
Vansteenkiste is a geography graduate from Carleton University and has a diploma in GIS and cartography from Sir Sanford Fleming College. After graduation, Vansteenkiste worked for 10 years as the GIS coordinator for the City of Stoney Creek and Hamilton. He grew up on a fruit farm near Grand Bend, Ont., and now lives on the shore of Lake Huron near Forest, Ont., with his wife and two boys. For the past six years, Vansteenkiste has operated the farm he grew up on, along with his brother, Mark. The brothers have developed the operation’s value-added potential and the farm now includes a winery, a cider mill, a summer camp venue for kids, and has become a destination for the public.

Mark Vanstenkiste
Vansteenkiste is a graduate in archaeology from Wilfrid Laurier University and worked for 18 years for the University of Western Ontario in the fire prevention section. He grew up on a fruit farm near Grand Bend, Ont., and continues to operate the family farm along with his brother, Mike. The brothers have developed the operation’s value-added potential and the farm now includes a winery, a cider mill, a summer camp venue for kids, and has become a destination for the public.

Joy Westelaken
“It’s good to get off the farm and meet our customers,” says Westelaken. “And it’s rewarding to provide food and feed families.” She and her husband, Dave, have worked their family owned and operated 70-acre vegetable garden and greenhouse for more than 25 years. Their greenhouse tomatoes are grown in soil for a tasty field flavour. Eating fruit and vegetables in-season at the peak of freshness is a way of life for the Westerlakens, who welcome a return to buy fresh, eat local food values. She operates an on-site store, pick-your-own operation and sells at various farmers’ markets, including Ridgetown, Horton (St. Thomas) and London Covent Garden. Westerlaken resides in Wallacetown, Ont., and is currently a MyPick™ Verified Local Farmer™.

Dr. Sean Westerveld
Dr. Westerveld joined the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in 2008 as the ginseng and medicinal herbs specialist. He received his BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in horticulture from the University of Guelph. His education focused on plant pathology and plant nutrition. After completing his education, Dr. Westerveld worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Muck Crops Research Station of the University of Guelph on the Holland Marsh. In that position, he worked in crop diagnostics, pest scouting, and research. Dr. Westerveld also worked as a research associate and interim leader of the vegetable and non-traditional crops research program at the University of Guelph’s Simcoe Research Station from 2007 to June 2008. His primary role in OMAFRA is to support the Ontario ginseng and medicinal herb industries through technology transfer and to provide input into provincial and federal policies that may affect the industry. Dr. Westerveld is also an adjunct professor in the department of plant agriculture at the University of Guelph.

Jane Widecombe
As program advisor for funding programs led by the Branding & Marketing Ontario Foods Unit at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), Widdecombe is responsible for promoting the programs and providing strategic direction to individual stakeholders as they apply for funding. She brings more than 12 years of marketing experience to OMAFRA. Previous to working for the ministry, Widdecombe worked for a marketing agency where she advised clients from a wide industry spectrum. She holds a BA (Hon) from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dr. Wayne Wilcox
Dr. Wilcox received a BSc in horticulture and a PhD in plant pathology from the University of California (Davis). Since 1984, he has been a faculty member at Cornell University campus. His research and extension programs focus on the applied biology and control of grape fungal diseases.

John Zandstra
Raised on a livestock and cash crop farm in southwestern Ontario, Zandstra completed his BSc and MSc at the Ontario Agricultural College of the University of Guelph. He has been with the University of Guelph at the Ridgetown campus since 1994 and is responsible for conducting cropping systems research on fruit and vegetable crops in southwestern Ontario. Zandstra is presently the coordinator of the agriculture diploma program at Ridgetown and also teaches courses in fruit and vegetable crop management. His research projects involve production research on peas, peppers, sugar beets, garlic, tomatoes (fresh and processing), apples, peaches, strawberries, cherries and vinifera grapes.

Denise Zaborowski
Denise is responsible for managing OMAFRA’s domestic marketing program, Foodland Ontario. She started with the Ministry in 2001 and has progressive experience in a number of roles ranging from Foodland Ontario’s Client Services Officer, Food Services Supervisor and Team Lead of Healthy Eating. Prior to joining OMAFRA, Denise held agri-food industry leadership roles at M&M Meat Shops and Weston Bakeries. Denise has a Master of Science degree in Marketing Management and an undergraduate Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Consumer Studies from the University of Guelph.

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OFVC
February 24 & 25, 2010
Brock University,
St. Catharines, Ontario