Archives: Speakers

Chairman and Co-founder of Materra Farming Company,

Alan L. Boyce is a co-founder and CEO of Westlands Solar Farms, LLC, a California renewable energy company formed in 2009.  WSF completed its first project (23mw DC) in February 2014 and is working on its second project.  Alan is Chairman and co-founder of Materra, LLC, a California based agricultural production company.  Materra was formed in 2011 and is currently the owner and operator of 30,000 acres of farmland growing alfalfa, cannery tomatoes, pistachios, dates, guayule and guar.  Alan is Chairman of Broadacre, a Saskatchewan farming company formed in 2010 which farms 65,000 acres in wheat, canola, mustard, chick peas, lentils and hemp.  Alan Boyce is co-founder and Director of Agrica Ltd, which developed and operates a 5,000 hectare rice farm in the Kilombero Valley in southern Tanzania.  Alan is co-founder and Director of Adecoagro(NYSE:AGRO), a food and renewable energy-producing company that owns and operates highly productive land throughout Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Adecoagro owns 275,000 hectares of highly productive farmland, leases another 175,000 hectares and has 8,000 employees.  Alan is Founder and Vice-President of Boyce Land Co..  Boyce Land Co has acted as the General Partner in a series of US farmland limited partnerships since 1987, and owns and manages farmland in 6 US states with a concentration in Indiana and California.

Entomologist, UC Davis, Dept. of Entomology & Nematology

Barlow is an entomologist working for the University of California’s Department of Entomology & Nematology in Riverside County.  He received a B.Sc. Degree in Biological Sciences with special emphasis in Entomology from San Jose State University, an M.Sc. in Plant Protection & Pest Management from the University of California at Davis, and a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University where he worked on “Use of the egg parasitoid wasp, Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) as a biological control agent of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae):  An approach to integrated pest management in bell pepper”.  He completed a post-doctoral research position at North Carolina State University where he worked on mating disruption of codling moth.  He then joined the Agricultural & Natural Resources Division of the University of California (UCANR) in 2009 as an Entomology/IPM/Crop Production Advisor for Riverside County. In 2016, he left UCANR to become a pest management consultant working both with industry and agricultural partners.

Barlow’s background is in biological control and integrated pest management of invasive insect pests of crops. His current research is on developing biological control and IPM of invasive insects and plants of field and forage agroecosystems — particularly ones that integrate various tactics and strategies in a manner that is effective, economically feasible, and environmentally compatible.

Head of Global Agronomy, Agrinos

Dr. Michael Austin is the Agrinos Head of Global Agronomy (Research and Development), emphasizing scientific research for existing and new product lines through field, greenhouse and commercial trial activities around the world for the America’s, Europe & Asia.

Mike previously worked in the seed industry with Syngenta Seeds, DuPont Pioneer Hi-Bred, and the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC). He attended Michigan State University (B.S.), The University of Florida (M.S.), and the University of Hawaii (Ph.D.).

Agrinos is a biological crop input provider committed to shaping the future of modern agriculture. Agrinos’ portfolio of High Yield Technology (HYT) products helps farmers practice profitable agriculture by providing increased crop productivity, improved quality, enhanced nutrient use and a reduced environmental footprint. Extensive research and field trials have proven Agrinos’ HYT® products drive yield and quality improvements across a broad range of specialty and commodity crops in a wide variety of environments and growing conditions. Products featuring Agrinos’ HYT platform are registered for commercial agricultural sales in over 20 countries

Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, US EPA

Bob McNally serves as the Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, in EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP). His Division includes over 50 scientists and risk managers who regulate pesticides used in organic agriculture, as well as biotechnology pesticide products. Previously, Bob led OPP’s Field and External Affairs Division (FEAD) overseeing pesticide program efforts in EPA’s 10 Regions, as well as State and Tribal engagement. In this position, Bob also oversaw the development of proposed regulations to better protect farm workers handling pesticides and harvesting crops. Previously, Bob managed the re-evaluation of many older pesticides used in agriculture and by homeowners to ensure these pesticides meet 21^st century human health and ecological risk assessment standards. Several of these pesticides were removed from the marketplace.

Other management positions at EPA included stints in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. In the latter office, Bob helped to lead a regulatory negotiation effort working with schools, the PTA, custodial unions and the asbestos industry to develop asbestos regulations governing the inspection and remediation of asbestos in school buildings.

Bob entered federal service as a Presidential Management Fellow working at the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Office of Management and Budget. He received a graduate degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland.

Associate Professor, Dept. of Entomology, Cornell University

Sanderson has 30 years of experience in research and Extension on integrated management of insect and mite pests of greenhouse crops at Cornell University. He is a member of the International Organization for Biological Control, and his Extension/research efforts emphasize greenhouse biological control tactics for a wide variety of greenhouse insect and mite pests. Current projects include the use of insect-killing nematodes for greenhouse pests, and aphid and thrips biological control. He speaks at regional and national greenhouse conferences and publishes articles in national trade magazines.

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

Jones has nearly 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, Greenhouse Grower TECHNOLOGY, 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.

Orchard Specialist and Assistant Professor in the Horticulture Department,Oregon State University Extension

Nik Wiman is an orchard specialist and assistant professor in the department of horticulture at Oregon State University. He has been engaged in research on brown marmorated stink bug since 2012. This work has included making many of the initial discoveries of the populations of the pest across the states of Oregon and Washington. He has conducted research on pheromones, traps, flight behavior, and biological control with native predators and parasitoids. He played a role in the recent discoveries of the first populations of the exotic egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus in Washington and Oregon and has been heading up efforts to redistribute the parasitoid across Oregon.

Horticultural Entomologist, Buglady Consulting

Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, a graduate of the University of FL and has been working in the horticulture industry for more than 25 years. Her focus has been on biological control and using pesticides properly. She has worked throughout the United States and internationally consulting to greenhouses, nurseries, and gardens.  She is the owner of Buglady Consulting, now in business 16 years.

In business now 16 years, Buglady Consulting provides expert pest management consulting services to commercial growers, garden centers and large private gardens throughout the US and Internationally. Specializing in sustainable practices and IPM, all client recommendations are made to promote the health of plants while being ecologically minded. Full use of natural and reduced risk pesticides, organic and cultural control practices and methods, are used while focusing on biological control. It is owned by Suzanne Wainwright-Evans and she teaches workshops and lectures worldwide.

Technical Sales and Support, Beneficial Insectary

Vance is a technical consultant for Redding, CA’s Beneficial Insectary. Based in Salem, OR, he covers the Pacific Northwest region for the company, working directly with growers, helping them establish and maintain biological pest control programs for all types of crops. He has 16 years of experience as a licensed chemical applicator in Oregon and Florida, including 4 years in the greenhouse as IPM Manager for Fessler Nursery in Woodburn, OR. At Fessler, he developed and ran a large-scale bio-program covering 700,000 square feet of greenhouse space in crops ranging from mixed annuals, tropical houseplants, perennials and more.