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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