Christoph Kessel
Dr. Andrew Landers
Christoph’s areas of focus include: soil fertility and tissue nutrition guidelines for horticulture crops and the evaluation of sources, application and timing of macro and micronutrients. Christoph is an active member of the OMAF & MRA Soil Team and the OMAF & MRA Soil Laboratory Accreditation Program.
Dr. Andrew Landers studied and taught agricultural engineering in England before he joined the faculty at Cornell University in 1998. He is based at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva where he directs the application technology program and his teaching/extension/research appointment involves the use of engineering solutions to provide safer spraying. In 2007 he was presented with the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at Cornell University award for outstanding accomplishments in extension and outreach. In 2010 the New York Wine and Grape foundation presented him with the Research Award for major contributions in research and education.
Dr. Matthew Krause Dr. Krause is the Product Development Manager, Plant Disease Management for Bioworks, Inc., in Victor, NY. He is a native of Ohio and a three-time graduate of The Ohio State University where he gained his multiple degrees. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business and Applied Economics, Master of Science and a PhD in Plant Pathology. Prior to joining Bioworks, he worked as a senior plant pathologist in Belgium for nine years. He has also worked as an associate research leader in the Microbial Process Ecology and Management Program at the KU Leuven University College De Nayer Institute.
Tracy Lamb Tracy has been promoting local food, farmers and agriculture for over 25 years. She is passionate about the connection between food and health, the need to appreciate and understand where our food comes from and the vital role that farmers’ markets play in that connection. Tracy and her team develop and implement provincial and national programs to raise awareness, motivate shifts in attitudes and behaviours and increase production and consumption of locally-produced food. An expert in marketing communications in agri-food, Tracy has extensive knowledge of all parts of the value chain, from producer to retailer and from influencer to consumer. Her passion for promoting healthy eating has led to her involvement in countless local food and nutritional education programs across Canada, working collaboratively with all stakeholders to develop innovative yet practical solutions aligned with her clients’ business objectives.
Brenda Lammens Brenda and her husband, Raymond, are partners in Spearit Farms where they have been producing asparagus for the past 30 years. Brenda has served in various positions on the Asparagus Farmers of Ontario Board and has just completed her 14th year as a Director. Brenda is the Chair of The Agricultural Management Institute which supports Business Management initiatives for Agri Food and Agri based product, producers and processors. She is presently also serving as a Director, representing Horticulture, on The Agricultural Adaptation Council. Brenda has also chaired The Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council and The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. Brenda was named by former, Agriculture Minister McMeekin, to the Minister’s “Growing Forward 2 Strategic Initiatives Innovation-Industry Roundtable”.
Desmond Layne Desmond is currently the Endowed Chair – Tree Fruit Extension Program Leader and Professor of Pomology, Department of Horticulture, Washington State University. Layne is the first hire as part of W.S.U.’s Campaign for Tree Fruit that will create a $32 million endowment from self-assessment of apple, pear, cherry, and stone fruit growers and is overseeing the $12 million Information and Technology Transfer area. Layne previously served as Professor of Pomology and Extension Peach Specialist at Clemson University since 1997. Layne grew up in Harrow and has been working with tree fruit crops since the age of 14 when his first summer job was picking peaches at a farm in Essex County. While at university, he spent 2 summers working in the stone fruit breeding program of his father, Dr. Dick Layne (AAFC) and one summer as an IPM Scout for OMAFRA. He subsequently earned a B.Sc. in Horticulture from the University of Guelph (1986) and both a M.Sc. (1989) and a Ph.D. (1992) in Horticulture from MSU.
disease-resistant strawberries. Dr. Lewers especially enjoys working with grower groups, nurseries, and collaborative scientists, chairing the Small Fruits Crop Germplasm Committee and the North American Strawberry Growers’ Research Committee in addition to writing the strawberry section of the “Register of Fruits and Nuts,” an historic record of new strawberry varieties.
John Lewis John has worked 17 years as a berry crop specialist in Nova Scotia, first with the N.S. Department of Agriculture and most recently with Perennia. The main berry crops he works with are strawberries, raspberries, highbush blueberries, cranberries and grapes. He has conducted applied research on alternative production systems including plasticulture systems for strawberry; the use of compost for soil rejuvenation in strawberry; fertigation programs for day-neutral strawberry production; and microclimate elaboration for optimum vineyard siting. Most recently he conducted an “aphid monitoring project for improved virus management in strawberries”. He has lectured at numerous workshops and symposia around North America.
K aren Lewis Karen is a Regional Tree Fruit Extension Specialist at Washington State University. She is an affiliate at the WSU Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems in Prosser, WA. Karen’s projects focus on the integration of people, orchard systems, engineering solutions and economics.
Frank Louws
Janice’s areas of focus include: production, IPM and marketing decisions for fresh market and processing vegetable crops including tomatoes, peppers, sugar beets, table beets, eggplant, and chicory; liaise with consultants, agribusiness, Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers, Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario, Sugar Beet Growers, processors, and researchers on production issues; assist in focusing resources and efforts to strategic priorities in these crops; assess new techniques and technologies relating to production and IPM issues.
Dr. Frank Louws is a Professor of Plant Pathology and Director of the NSF-Center for IPM at North Carolina State University. His research and extension program focuses on foliar and fruit diseases of strawberry and disease management of soilborne diseases in strawberry and vegetable systems. The program engages technicians, undergraduate and graduate students and senior scientists to generate new knowledge about the biology of plant pathogens and to develop disease and crop management recommendations. The program engages industry leaders and growers in identifying research priorities and developing practical solutions.
Dr. Kim Lewers
Ray MacKenzie
Dr. Lewers has been with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service at Beltsville, Maryland since 2001, conducting research on strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry. She serves as a Research Geneticist (Plants) developing improved cultivars of these valuable fruit crops while studying inheritance of important traits and developing molecular markers and genetic maps to help track these traits in breeding populations. She works toward the vision of year-round, locally grown, great tasting,
Ray has been involved in sales and design with Vanden Bussche Irrigation for over 20 years. VBI is well known as Ontario’s irrigation leader and is celebrating 60 years in business in 2014. Ray’s primarily focus involves working with growers implementing drip irrigation systems and a wide variety of watering schemes for nursery crops. He also helps clients with needs as diverse as turf grass systems, cooling and frost protection and dust suppression for mines. Vanden Bussche Irrigation’s full system approach to
Janice LeBoeuf
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