Nomination Purpose Statement

Transcription

1 I am pleased to accept my nomination to the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. There is an ever-growing focus from the Canadian public on ensuring that the food they eat is produced in an environmentally conscientious manner. As someone who has worked extensively with landowners, regulators, industry and agricultural professionals, I see the role that Agrologists play in our environmentally sustainable future and I look forward to working with council to gain recognition of our efforts. Jill Caldwell, B.S.A., P.Ag., E.P. Jill is the co-owner of Good Lands Environmental Inc. where she currently acts as the Remediation Program Manager. She grew up on a small dairy farm in southwest Manitoba before obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan in Following a term as a research assistant with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Jill returned home where she has been involved with the oil and gas industry since 2003 as an environmental professional. She has worked extensively with oil and gas production companies, landowners, regulators and colleagues to remediate and reclaim lands impacted by oil and gas production, ensuring that they are returned to their previous agricultural capability. She has been a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists for more than ten years (minus a short stint with the Alberta Institute) and has been a Canadian Certified Environmental Practitioner since She is a lover of red wine and currently lives near Pierson (where red wine varieties are limited) with her husband and two kids.

2 Prabal Ghosh, Ph.D., P.Ag., P.Eng. Prabal values the Agrology profession that helps agricultural and livestock producers and food manufacturers adopt best practices, manage risks, and take actions towards differentiating themselves in highly competitive markets through innovation and sustainability. Prabal brings over 10 years of progressive experience working in such areas as research and development, public policy making, legislative and regulatory development, strategic planning, and project management for food processing industries - the largest manufacturing sector in Manitoba. Prabal is looking forward to his involvement in the governance of the Agrology profession and to contribute his experience and expertise to meet MIA s goals for advancing the profession in Manitoba. Prabal believes that climate change, social license, food safety, trade and market access, automation and robotics are some of the many trends and drivers that will affect the agriculture and food sectors and present challenges and opportunities for these sectors to grow and prosper. Subsequently, these issues will significantly influence the advancement of Agrology profession in coming years. What this means is that the MIA Council has responsibilities towards maintaining an ethical leadership framework to prepare and manage the changes. As a Professional Agrologist, there was no better time for Prabal to give back to MIA that adds such a value to the profession. Prabal is one of the six member nominees for the election of Provincial Council members at the 66th Annual General Meeting. Prabal is currently the Policy Specialist, Food and Agri-Products with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, a position he has held for five years. In this role, Prabal is responsible for analysis and development of strategic policies and policy instruments for food and agri-product processing industry development in both Manitoba and across Canada through Federal/Provincial/Territorial workgroups. Prior to this appointment, Prabal spent four years with the Food Development Centre as a Senior Scientist, where he conducted and managed many food industry-driven research and development projects. Prabal currently serves as a Program and Vice-Chair (Chair-Elect) on the Manitoba section management committee of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. He is also a Chair of Service Quality Partners, a provincial civil service employee network dedicated to champion services and management improvement in the Manitoba government. Prabal is committed to serving the community and has volunteered in many capacities including serving as a community-member on the Board of Directors of Univillage Preschool, a facility for over 80 children with more than $1 million annual budget. Prabal has a Ph.D. in Biosystems Engineering and a Certificate in Public Sector Management from the University of Manitoba. He has received the prestigious NSERC Fellowship, JSPS (Japan) Fellowship, and ASABE, SOCI (UK), and Shastri (Canada) Awards. He is the co-author of seventeen scientific research papers and four book chapters. Prabal is also a Registered Professional Engineer. Prabal is an eight-year member of MIA and has previously served on the Member Services and Elections Committees. Prabal values the Agrology profession that helps agricultural and livestock producers and food manufacturers adopt best practices, manage risks, and take actions towards differentiating themselves in highly competitive markets through innovation and sustainability. Prabal is looking forward to his involvement in the governance of the Agrology profession and to contribute his experience and expertise to meet MIA s goals for advancing the profession in Manitoba.

3 Mark remains passionate about the agriculture and agribusiness industry and the self-regulated profession of agrology. Mark has enjoyed contributing to the profession of agrology in Manitoba and looks forward to serving out his final term on counsel. Mark Howe, P.Ag. Mark Howe is a University of Manitoba graduate of both the Diploma and Degree Programs from the Faculty of Agricultural & Foods Sciences. Mark's business experience includes over ten years in agri-business including his most recent agri-business role as Marketing Manager with Viterra. Mark's experience also includes working within a large advertising agency and teaching the Services Marketing course at Red River College. He currently serves on the Board of Directors with the Manitoba Marketing Network, and is the Regional Vice Chair (North America) of the Lex Mundi Marketing Committee. As the Director of Client Relations, Mark leads the business development and marketing functions of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP (TDS Law), one of the largest full-service law firms between Calgary and Toronto. He also acts as the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Acumen Corporate Development Inc. (an affiliate of TDS Law). Mark also provides business development and marketing advisory services on a part-time basis as the Principal of Custom Marketing Works. Mark has been a member of MIA since the mid-nineties when he was a student. Mark was a strong contributor to the review and repositioning of Professionalism and Ethics seminar within the Agrologist-in-Training requirements. Mark continues to have a passion for the agriculture sector and the profession of Agrology, serving on industry-related boards, attending industry events (e.g. Ag Days) and being active with the TDS Law Agribusiness Group. Mark lives in Winnipeg with his wife and three children.

4 I accepted the nomination for Provincial Council to meet more people who are as passionate about agriculture as I am. If elected, I would like to help create more ways for members to learn from each other, to share our expertise with a wider audience and to take advantage of group training opportunities. I would also like to help develop an insurance product that meets the needs of Agrologists, so that we can focus on our customers and what we have to offer. Lynne Pinder, M.Sc., P.Ag. Lynne is proud and excited to be a third generation farmer, who is following her passion for Canadian agriculture. During her time spent working off the farm, she gained extensive animal nutrition training by earning her Master of Science degree at the University of Manitoba. Furthermore, while working for HyLife Ltd., Canada s leading pork producer, for over ten years, Lynne gained valuable feed industry experience focused on feed formulation, feed manufacturing, animal performance and cost analysis. Now that Lynne is privileged to be back living the farm life every day, she enjoys applying her skills as an Agrologist, an animal nutritionist and a farmer to help the agriculture industry continue to move forward. Lynne is currently creating a new consulting business to help beef producers improve their yearround feeding programs. By combining her on-farm experience, postsecondary education and feed industry background with today s technology, Lynne is able to provide a unique perspective and practical advice to beef producers around the world! To learn more and get updates on her new business, make sure to follow her on and LinkedIn.

5 It is an honor to be nominated to be a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists Provincial Council and be able to contribute to the organization. Being passionate about bringing safe food to Canadians and the world, my roles and hands-on experiences in livestock agriculture has helped me gain a wider view of the importance of the profession of agrology. By being an active participant and having a proactive mindset about the profession of agrology, we can make a more vibrant agrology regulatory body. Dennis Robles, P.Ag. Dennis passion for pigs and agriculture helps him with his work at Swine Health Professionals Ltd. since 2006 as a Swine Production Specialist. At SHP, he works with veterinarians and producers with on-farm production monitoring and improvement strategies, conducting Swine Production Training Programs, Canadian Quality Assurance evaluations, and ensuring safe pork is delivered from Farm gate to your Plate. He is a speaker on the topics of swine production and stockmanship and delivered presentations to numerous audiences. He currently conducts the Swine Health Professionals Production Workshops. He also works with producers and owners of swine enterprises to make decisions on the growth of their organization. Dennis Robles graduated with a B.Sc. (Agriculture) from the University of the Philippines and is a member of the MIA as a Professional Agrologist.

6 It is with great sense of honor and humility that I am accepting the nomination to join MIA s Provincial Council. Serving agriculture industry has always been my passion for the past twenty years. With my experience and numerous networks, I have worked with, I find it more and more exciting to explore the opportunities to help advance agricultural solutions for farmers, to effectively communicate with consumers, and to advocate agriculture and its benefits with the general public. My goal of becoming the provincial councilor is not only to help the Council to fulfill the public mandate, but also to help address our members needs, and bring true value of P.Ag. designation to the farmers, employers and employees. Yilan Zhang, MBA, MSc, BSc. and P.Ag. Yilan has been passionate about agriculture from the time that she was a teenager! She has studied Plant Protection (BSc.) and Pest Management (MSc. level) in China before moving to Canada. She came to Canada to do her Master s degree in Plant Pathology at the University of Manitoba (MSc. 2004). She has later received her Master s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Manitoba in Yilan has worked in the agriculture and business sector for over 10 years. She has managed $10M national agricultural research program (Growing Forward - Science Cluster ) and coordinated with multiple stakeholders including grower groups, governments and research institutes during her role as Crop Production Research Manager at Canola Council of Canada. She has a strong background and knowledge of canola agronomic issues and regulatory affairs related to international trade (SPS, biotech traits, etc.). She is currently with Monsanto Global Breeding working on next generation Roundup Ready canola and also managing the site s Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2008). Yilan has also specialized in developing and assessing business plans to commercialize new technologies and conducting business development. She has participated in five international business plan competitions during her MBA study, and won the Outstanding Written Plan in Global MOOT Corp Business Plan Competition in Texas, USA in 2009 representing a new venture team. She has successfully co-founded and managed a non-profit dance school and a local Montessori School (daycare center) in Winnipeg, MB. Yilan has served on the Ownership Linkage Committee of MIA in 2013, and has also served on the Board of Directors of a non-profit cultural arts group in Winnipeg, Manitoba for more than ten years. She will bring the provincial council her combined knowledge and experience in science and business, her experience on boards, and her devotion to serving the community and the agriculture industry.