New crop specialists for the 2020 season

We would like to welcome Cassandra Russell and Andrew Wylie to the Vegetable Crops Team!

In the past Cassandra Russell worked in the OMAFRA-UofG Highly Qualified Personnel program. I,n this role, Cassandra worked directly with our greenhouse and field vegetable specialists to collaborate with growers and industry on research projects to address pepper weevil. As an entomologist, she has taken the reigns to successfully lead the Guelph Bug Day educational event to educate community members about insects. She is completing her M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph and holds a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph. Cassandra will join OMAFRA on February 10, 2020 and can be reached at 519-350-7134.

Andrew Wylie has over 10 years experience in agricultural research focused on vegetable production. Andrew grew up growing vegetables and building his family’s specialty mushroom operation. With a passion for vegetable production, Andrew co-founded Heritage Organic Research Co. Ltd. (Herio) in 2007, where he developed novel nutrition and IPM strategies that are being used in organic greenhouses across North America. During his Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University, Andrew developed a system to assess microbial biocontrols for organic vegetable production systems.  Andrew holds a M.Sc. in Plant Science from the University of British Columbia and a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Guelph. Andrew will join OMAFRA on February 4, 2020 and can be reached at 519-401-5890.

Dennis Van Dyk will be returning as our root vegetable specialist February 18, 2020. We would like to thank Tyler Blauel for covering the root vegetable specialist position over the past few months!

If you are unsure who to contact or have a question about a crop that is not listed below, the Agriculture Information Contact Centre (AICC) is also a good place to start: 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca