St. Catharines
November 29, 2023
Holiday Inn & Conference Centre

Schedule

7:30am to 8:30am	Exhibitor Set-Up
8:30am	Attendee Registration Opens
9:00am to 9:05am	Opening Remarks
9:05am to 9:50am	Soil testing 101 Speaker: Jason Henry, laboratory supervisor, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
9:50am to 10:35am	Tools for managing water erosion and runoff Speaker: Kevin McKague, engineer, water quality, OMAFRA
10:35am to 11:05am	Coffee and Networking Break
11:05am to 12:00pm	Growth and Tech Trials Speaker: Christine George, research lead for the Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre, Niagara College.
12:00pm to 1:15pm	Lunch Break
1:15pm to 2:00pm	Boots on the ground with Mark Richards Vegetable and cash crop grower in Chatham-Kent
2:00pm to 2:45pm	Using the Soil Health Assessment & Plan Speakers: Danny Jefferies, soil management specialist, horticulture, OMAFRA
2:45pm to 3:15pm	Coffee and Networking Break
3:15pm to 4:00pm	Options and a game plan for weed control in June bearing strawberries Speaker: Sonny Murray, Berry Specialist, Perennia Food and Agriculture Corporation In this session, Perennia Food and Agriculture’s Berry Specialist, Sonny Murray, will walk through the weed control options and review a typical program from the year of establishment through harvest while highlighting some difficult-to-control weeds.
4:00pm	Closing Remarks

Speakers

Christine George
research lead for the Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre, Niagara College.

Christine George is the research lead for the Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC). She leads and supports the success of applied research projects mainly for the Greenhouse Technology Network, a Niagara College-led initiative that brings together research institutions and greenhouse and technology businesses to accelerate the development, commercialization and adoption of new technologies. Research projects focus on validating novel products and/or technology through testing within greenhouses.

Also a faculty member at NC since 2019, Christine is a partial load professor teaching Plant Science 2 in the School of Environment and Horticulture program. After receiving her masters degree in Soil Science (2013) from the University of Guelph, Christine worked as a R&D lab manager for Alpha Agri Products Inc. She has spent the last three years as a private soil health consultant in southern Ontario, dividing her time between contract work with research or grant-driven projects, and soil sampling and analysis.

Danny Jefferies

Danny Jefferies is the new soil management specialist, horticulture, with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Previously, Danny worked as a precision ag consultant for Deveron, consulting with farmers regarding seed and fertility recommendations using precision technologies.

Jason Henry

Jason Henry is a senior research scientist with Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. He established the Soil Health and Substrate Quality Assessment Laboratory at Vineland and acts as the lab’s supervisor. Jason attended Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., graduating with a Bachelor of Environmental Science, followed by a master’s degree in Environmental and Life Science.

Kevin McKague

Kevin McKague is an engineer, water quality, with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). He has authored or co-authored a range of peer-reviewed papers on his research on model use in assessing BMP effectiveness in improving soil and water quality. Kevin advises and works on a wide range of soil and water conservation issues.

Mark Richards

Mark Richards farms near Dresden in Chatham-Kent, Ont. He’s part of Richards Rolling Acres Ltd., a multigenerational family farm that grows corn, soy, wheat, sugar beets, and processing tomatoes on mostly clay loam soils.

Sonny Murray
Berry Specialist, Perennia Food and Agriculture Corporation

Sonny has over 17 years of experience in the agricultural industry, working with producers on crop input and seasonal planning. During his time in the agricultural retail business, he spent time developing crop input plans tailored to the producer’s quality and yield goals.

Sonny provides advisory services in horticultural crops, including strawberries, blueberries and caneberries. Sonny’s experience includes nutrient management, soil fertility, weed management, crop rotation and soil conservation.

He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree from the former Nova Scotia Agricultural College, where he majored in Plant Science and minored in Pest Management. After graduating, Sonny started his career in canola production and weed research with the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Sonny has received many industry awards in recognition of his service, including the 2014 Nova Scotia Agrologist of the Year.