SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES AMBE R BAILE Y Amber has been involved with food safety in the horticultural industry for the last 22 years. She holds a BSc in Food Science and a MSc in Food Safety both from the University of Guelph. Amber has been with the CanadaGAP program for 17 years and is currently the Technical Manager. In this position her responsibilities include overseeing the food safety manuals, audit checklist, and any other relevant food safety documents as well as supporting certification bodies, auditors and program participants.
CHUCK BARESICH Chuck is the General Manager of Haggerty Creek Ltd., a crop input and grain elevator located near Bothwell, Ontario. He is also the President of Haggerty AgRobotics Company, a new venture bringing autonomous robots to Ontario fields. Chuck farms with his wife Heather and their 2 children, and is a graduate of the University of Guelph.
GE RBE BOTDE N Gerbe is the orchard manager at their family farm, Blue Mountain Fruit Company, in Thornbury, Ontario. Their operation grows, stores, and packs apples from other growers as well as their own that are sold to retailers in Canada and the US. With a focus on continuous improvement, Gerbe is always looking for innovative ways to continuously grow high quality and high yielding crops.
JOAN BR ADY Joan is passionate about food and farming – whether preparing a community dinner for 200, growing delicious food and beautiful flowers for sale at the farmgate or farmers’ market, or helping others build
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their businesses and creating ways for businesses and their respective communities to work together. Her farming journey has made her realize the importance of policy and political work to developing a healthy and sustainable food system. Building on her broad range of agricultural and community experience, Joan started Sustainable Futures Farm & Food Consulting in 2014. She manages projects for various organizations and agencies and continues to work with other farmers and community members on hunger, poverty, sustainability, and resilience issues. She is a long-time member of the National Farmers Union and an advocate for farm families at local, national, and global levels.
DR. SU-LING BROOKS Dr. Brooks is a Professor in the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science at Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS). She has a degree in Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering (Massey University, NZ) and PhD in Chemical Engineering (University of Cambridge, UK). Her research centers on food and bioprocessing and waste utilization for value-added products. She has been recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and the Canadian Society of Biological Engineering (CSBE) for her significant research contributions in advanced manufacturing for food and bioprocess engineering with the CSBE John Clark Award in 2016.
KE LLY BROWN Kelly is the Executive Vice President, People, Legal & Corporate Affairs for Arterra Wines Canada Inc. Arterra is the leading wine producer in Canada with 8 wineries and such iconic brands as Inniskillin, JacksonTriggs, Kim Crawford, and Robert Mondavi. Kelly is also the Chair of Wine Growers Canada. Prior to joining Arterra, Kelly was the Chief People, Legal &
Corporate Affairs Officer for Molson Coors Canada. Kelly received her law degree from Dalhousie University and her BA (Hon) from McGill University. She was called to the bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada. In 2006, Lexpert named her one of Canada’s “Top 40 Lawyers under 40”.
ANITA BUE HNE R Recently retired, Anita continues to enjoy growing lavender, although on a much smaller scale. A farm diversification plan, beginning in 2009, led to the establishment of 12,000 lavender plants and 10 acres of wine grapes on their former farm. With the goal of revitalizing their farm, Anita and her husband Steve began focusing on establishing an ecological agri-tourism destination – from field to final product. The journey of their new venture crossed many unforeseen paths.
KE VIN BUIS Kevin was born and raised in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and grew up on the family farm which was started by his parents, Peter and Margaret in 1957. He received an engineering degree from the University of Guelph in 1986. After graduating from university, Kevin joined his brother Peter in carrying on the family business which now consists of 400 acres of 14 varieties of wine grapes. Kevin has been very involved in the agriculture industry, and has served on various committees and boards including the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Advisory Committee and the Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. Kevin is currently a member of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake Irrigation Committee.
K ATHRYN CARTE R Kathryn is the Fruit Specialist (Tender Fruit and Grape) for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
