Archives: Speakers

Technical Sales Specialist 

BioBee USA

Steven has worked in biological crop protection for over 20 years. Following MS and PhD degrees in pest management and insect pathology from the University of London, U.K., he moved to the United States to pursue work as an applied research entomologist. Following academic positions with Texas A&M University, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and the University of Florida, he moved to industry. Currently, Steven works as a Technical Sales Specialist for a global producer and supplier of beneficial insects, mites and nematodes. He works with a diverse range of growers to help implement biological pest control programs in a range of crops, including ornamentals, vegetables, cannabis and most recently open field crops.

Owner, T&D Willey Farms

Policy Advisor, The Cornucopia Institute
LLC Management Committee Member, California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Certification Services

Tom Willey, with his wife Denesse, operated T&D Willey Farms from 1981 until 2016, a seventy-five-acre Certified Organic farm in Madera, California, growing a wide array of Mediterranean vegetables the year round. T&D Willey Farms produce was appreciated in specialty markets and fine restaurants up and down the U.S. West Coast as well as on the tables of over 800 weekly Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription members in their own community. Tom was, for nearly a decade, Slow Food USA’s governor for California’s Central Valley and he passionately advocates for local food prominence through his writing, speaking, radio, and event organizing activities. His monthly “Down on the Farm” radio interview program features the work of progressive farmers and others prominent in San Joaquin Valley’s agriculture and food communities. Tom has served over the years on the boards of directors of the Ecological Farming Association (EFA) and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and presently is a member of CCOF Certification Services’ five-person LLC Management Committee. He currently serves as a Policy Advisor to The Cornucopia Institute which monitors integrity of the U.S. organic industry. He has been collaborating with several California organic growers to develop no-till and reduced-till organic vegetable production systems over the last three years.

Director of the Department of Agriculture 

State of Arizona

Paul E. Brierley, Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture, was raised working on his family’s diversified farm. After earning a computer science degree, he returned to production agriculture in southeast Arizona.

He worked with producers across Arizona as Farm Bureau’s Director of Organization for 10 years. Then, in 2014 became the founding Executive Director of the University of Arizona’s Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, which he built into a highly effective agricultural research organization. 

On June 26, 2023, Paul took over the reins as Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture under the appointment of Governor Katie Hobbs. He is highly respected and represents the best of our agricultural industry in Arizona, and will no doubt succeed in leading the Department with diligence, respect, and a deep understanding of the work involved.

Agronomy Manager

Taylor Farms

Kim Horton began farming insects in 1998 as a part-time job in college. It was an immediate perfect fit and blossomed into her choice of pursuing a B.S. degree in Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She continued rearing insects and mites for the biological control industry for the next 15 years. In 2015, Kim decided to change gears and began working on a large organic vegetable farm in the San Joaquin Valley in California. Currently, Kim is the Agronomy Manager at Taylor Farming based in the Salinas Valley where she continues to be fascinated by the above ground and below ground associations between plants, insects, diseases, and soil.

Technical Sales Manager North America

Agrauxine

Vince Wertman is Technical Sales Manager, North America for Agrauxine by Lesaffre. He started in 2005 with the former Advanced Biological Marketing. As technical sales manager, Vince serves customers in the US and supports the regional sales managers with technical help. His expertise and knowledge provides customers with a great resource for agronomic assistance.

As Technical Sales Manager, Vince is responsible for all technical aspects of Agrauxine products. This includes overseeing product trials and processing data results. He provides authoring of product labels and technical papers, oversees the setup of inoculant treaters and investigates field complaints.

Vince’s 25 plus years of experience includes seed treatment and product formulation and manufacturing. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agriculture with a specialization in agri-chemistry, microbiology and nutrition. He resides with his family in Albert Lea Minnesota.

Key Account Manager, Garden and Greenhouse

Certis Biologicals

Lee Schaber serves key accounts for garden and greenhouse customers of Certis Biologicals, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of biopesticides headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. In his role, Lee supports distribution with private label marketing opportunities and sales of Certis’ industry-leading portfolio of consumer garden, professional greenhouse and nursery products, including insecticides, fungicides from neem seed extracts, microbials and other natural substances. Before joining Certis, Lee most recently served as Agronomy and Technical Services Lead with Aquatrols, leading innovation development for professional turf products. Prior to that, during a 15-year career with Scotts Miracle-Gro, he held key roles in operations management, global sourcing, strategic partnerships, and technology scouting.

CEA GGSPro Specialist

Griffin Greenhouse Supplies

Erica Hernandez is the CEA technical specialist for the GGSPro team at Griffin Greenhouse Supplies. She obtained her Masters in Horticultural Biology from Cornell University under Dr. Neil Mattson 2018 and recently obtained her California Pest Control Adviser certification. Her day-to-day activities include staying up to date with problems facing the hemp, cannabis, and edible crop production spaces while researching and educating growers on good horticultural practices to solve those issues.

Professor

Clemson University

Jim Faust is a professor at Clemson University where he teaches greenhouse production and hydroponics courses. His research focuses on Botrytis management strategies, floriculture crop production techniques, postharvest physiology and Cannabis production methods. His most recent Botrytis research has aimed to develop biocontrol strategies for cut flowers, bedding plants and potted flowering plants.

Technical Specialist

BASF

Jen Browning started with BASF in an Oregon sales role and transitioned to technical service where she’s now based out of Boise, Idaho. She’s responsible for field development in Turf and Ornamentals for the western US. She is a graduate of Oregon State University, with a BSc in Horticulture and MSc in Entomology, and a licensed California Agricultural Pest Control Adviser (PCA). Jen works with a seasoned sales team, distributors, researchers, golf course superintendents and horticulturists to solve agronomic problems, test and bring new products to market, provide training and education, and steward the BASF portfolio of crop protection products. She also conducts field trials, writes programs and product labels, articles and technical materials. She’s been with BASF since 2011.