Archives: Speakers

Editor, American Vegetable Grower

Carol Miller, Editor of American Vegetable Grower, has reported on specialty crops since 1998. She has helmed several magazines in those years, covering several aspects of the specialty crop industry, from ornamental crops to produce.

Meister Media Worldwide is a fourth-generation family business located in Willoughby, OH.  Founded in 1932 as American Fruit Grower Publishing Company, the operation has evolved to become one of the leading media businesses in the U.S., and now internationally, devoted solely to production agriculture. Its 11 brands cover a range of markets including the U.S. Horticulture titles American Fruit Grower^TM, Western Fruit Grower^TM, American Vegetable Grower^TM, Florida Grower^TM, and Greenhouse Grower^TM with a diverse portfolio of print magazines, websites, digital and data products, and industry-leading events, including the Biocontrols^SM Conference & Expo Series.  

PhD Student, Cornell University

Anna Wallis is a PhD student in Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Interactions at Cornell University. She is a member of Dr. Kerik Cox’s lab at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, NY. Her work focuses on the scientific and commercial understanding of fire blight, with the goal of developing more sustainable management strategies. As a former Extension Associate with Cornell Cooperative Extension, she served the apple industry in Eastern NY, providing extensive disease and pest management support.

Cornell AgriTech, the new name for the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, is a preeminent center for food and agricultural research and education that is a vital part of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.  Food and agriculture are multi-billion dollar industries for the New York state economy. Research, innovation and development are essential to the continued success of these industries and Cornell AgriTech is strategically positioned to play a lead role. We are committed to furthering over one hundred and thirty years of scientific discovery and innovation that drive economic development and deliver practical solutions for farmers and businesses.  We are growing a healthier population, economy and environment for New York state and the world. Grow with us.

Director of Technical Business, BCA. BioWorks

Ronald Valentin was born in the heart of the greenhouse industry in the Netherlands. His family owned a greenhouse operation and his father started using biological control in 1971. At a very young age Ronald developed an interest for the “bugs” and as a teenager he was managing and producing the biological control agents for the family greenhouse operation. After finishing his education in crop protection management, biochemistry and vegetable production at State Secondary College of Agriculture in De Lier the Netherland, he embarked on a career in biological control in 1986. After working in biological control technical support in the Netherlands and several other European countries, he came to Canada for his first visit in 1996. After traveling to Canada once every 6 to 7 weeks in 1996 and 1997 he immigrated to Canada in December 1997. In March 2004 he became a Canadian Citizen. Over the years Ronald has worked with many growers to set up sustainable and effective pest management programs with as a focus to use BCA’s as a first line of defense. He also has trained and managed technical support teams in Europe, Canada and the USA. Ronald is currently Director of Technical Business, BCA at BioWorks, out of Victor, NY. Ronald is very passionate about making an IPM and biological control approach work for each and every grower as well as reducing the use of pesticides for the better of the environment and the future.

BioWorks provides the expertise for managing plant and soil health using reliable, environmentally responsible products, when and how you need them.

For 25 years BioWorks has been helping our customers in the horticulture and specialty agriculture markets develop effective and efficient custom programs using products that are safe and proven. We are continuously reinventing the way our customers work by providing biologically based, integrated, safe solutions and programs.

BioWorks is a founding member of the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA) and also a proud sponsor of the AFE scholarship program, funding the ‘BioWorks IPM/Sustainable Practices Scholarship’. For more information, please visit www.bioworksinc.com.

Product Development Manager, Valent Biosciences

Dr. Johannes Mathieu is the Product Development Manager for biorational fungicides at Valent Biosciences. He holds a Diploma in Biology from the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim and a Doctorate in Plant Biology from the Max Planck Institute and Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Germany. Before joining Valent Biosciences, Johannes conducted research in plant pathology at Cornell University and worked at Agri-Neo, Toronto as Plant Pathologist and Product Development Manager.

Valent BioSciences LLC (VBC) is a worldwide leader in the research, development and commercialization of biorational products for the agricultural, public health and forest health markets. With sales in an estimated 100 countries around the world, VBC is renowned for its innovation, best-in-class quality in manufacturing, product performance and consistency, and fully developed portfolio of sustainable solutions. The VBC portfolio includes bioinsecticides, biofungicides, bionematicides, mycorrhizal fungi, and plant growth regulators used in sustainable systems around the world. VBC products are manufactured using proprietary fermentation processes and post-fermentation product recovery techniques rooted in pharmaceutical manufacturing, techniques that VBC has been perfecting for more than 50 years.

Meadowlark Vineyard, Klickitat Canyon Winery

Dr. Robin Dobson earned his PhD in Plant pathology. After several years of research in Nigeria and at OSU experiment station, he began his career with the U.S. Forest Service. Working as an ecologist he helped draft the Management Plan for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. He purchased a small farm establishing a family organic vineyard and winery near Lyle, WA. He recently retired and his son, Kiva, has taken over responsibilities with the farm and winery.

Meadowlark Vineyard approaches its organic production not with a new idea, but a forgotten one: planting native flora between the rows of a vineyard to enhance native bio-diversity including insect diversity which then function as biocontrol agents. We will discuss how this approach requires provisions for all life cycle requirements, and how it enhances soil properties and other ecological functions, such as pollinators,to create a long-lasting system of balance.

Owner, Research & Development Manager, Orchard View Inc.

Mike Omeg is a fifth-generation cherry farmer from The Dalles, Oregon and the manager of Research and Development at Orchard View, Inc.  He majored in Economics at Willamette University, while minoring in Biology and Environmental Science.  He then earned his Master of Science degree at Oregon State University, specializing in entomology.  Mike is known for his innovative ideas on growing cherries.  Mike also enjoys raising heritage chickens and turkeys.

Orchard View, Inc. is a grower and packer of premium sweet cherries in The Dalles, Oregon.  Originally founded as Orchard View Farms in 1923 by Walter and Mabel Bailey, Orchard View has grown to one of the largest producers of sweet cherries in Oregon.  A family business to this day, Orchard View is responsible for over 3000 acres of cherries, apples, and pears and packs over 10,000 tons of cherries annually.

Executive Editor, U.S. Horticulture Group – Meister Media Worldwide

Jones has more than 20 years of experience covering the commercial U.S. fruit, vegetable, greenhouse ornamental, and garden retail markets for Meister Media Worldwide’s horticulture brands. As Executive Editor he has responsibility for overall print, digital, and event content for the American Fruit Grower, Western Fruit Grower, American Vegetable Grower, Greenhouse Grower, and Florida Grower brands. Jones is active with BPIA and has been a leader in developing Meister Media’s biocontrols coverage and events over the last several years. He has a BBA from Southern Methodist University.

Meister Media Worldwide is a fourth-generation family business located in Willoughby, OH.  Founded in 1932 as American Fruit Grower Publishing Company, the operation has evolved to become one of the leading media businesses in the U.S., and now internationally, devoted solely to production agriculture. Its 11 brands cover a range of markets including the U.S. Horticulture titles American Fruit Grower^TM, Western Fruit Grower^TM, American Vegetable Grower^TM, Florida Grower^TM, and Greenhouse Grower^TM with a diverse portfolio of print magazines, websites, digital and data products, and industry-leading events, including the Biocontrols^SM Conference & Expo Series.  

Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist , Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Dr. Sarah Jandricic has been the Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) since 2015. She is responsible for IPM of both insect pests and plant diseases. Sarah has studied IPM in floriculture for over 17 years, including at the University of Guelph, Cornell University, North Carolina State University and as Director of Research for an IPM consulting company. Sarah runs the ONFloriculture blog, and aids greenhouse growers in conducting on-farm trials to help solve critical issues in their operations. Sarah is stationed at Vineland, Ontario and can be reached at 905-562-4141 Ext. 106 or [email protected].

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is an Ontario government ministry responsible for the food, agriculture and rural sectors of the Canadian province of Ontario. The Ministry helps to build a stronger agri-food sector by investing in the development and transfer of innovative technologies, retaining and attracting investment, developing markets, providing regulatory oversight, and providing effective risk management tools.

Professor, Washington State University

Bill did his Biology BA at University of Delaware, M.S. in Zoology at Clemson, and Ph.D. in Entomology at University of Kentucky. A stint as a USDA Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison preceded his move to Washington State University in 2000, where he was promoted to Full Professor in 2010. My research and outreach program examines links between farm biodiversity and environmental and human health.

My laboratory at Washington State University includes a diverse group of ecologists, joined by our common interest in finding natural solutions to problems in species conservation, sustainable agriculture, and human health. Our goal is to reduce the conflict between species conservation and feeding a growing human population. In fact, we find that restoring and maintaining natural biodiversity is often the key to managing pests while providing safe and healthy food.

Co-Owner, Lenwood Farms

Brad Bailie is co-owner of Lenwood Farms in Connell, WA, along with his wife, Esther Daza. He is a member of the fifth generation of his family farming the land. Brad and Esther focus their work on developing the farm into a healthy and vibrant place to live and work. They hope to continue to experience economic and environmental sustainability. Both enjoy working with and in other cultures and are open to the possibility of working abroad in agricultural and community development. When Brad and Esther are not working on the farm or at the local high school, respectively, they love to be in Esther’s homeland, Colombia, visiting friends and family.

Lenwood Farms has been in the family since the early 1900s, first farming in 1915. In the mid-1980s the land was enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In the late 1990s when the first CRP contracts began to expire, Brad and his father, Roger Bailie, began converting the land to organic production. Until 2002, the land was leased out to another farmer who grew organic vegetables, but in 2003 Brad began growing organic vegetables and grains in partnership with his father. He and his wife, Esther Daza, are now 100% owners of Lenwood Farms, Inc.
Lenwood Farms has raised heirloom wheat, emmer, spelt, einkorn, black barley, onions, potatoes, spearmint, catnip, peas, sweet corn, beans, camelina, butternut squash, spinach and lima beans. Cover cropping plays a vital role in the rotation. Brad strives to work in harmony with nature to produce high quality, nutritious crops. Several areas on the farm are solely designated as habitat for beneficial insects and other wildlife, and he offers tours designed to highlight the sustainable farming practices he is implementing.