SOUTHERN INTERIOR HORTICULTURAL SHOW 2025

Fairview Estate Vineyard

Co-Founder, Niche Wines

Graduate Student, University of British Columbia

Graduate Student, University of British Columbia

Graduate Student, University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Owner/Operator, KSD Farms

Farm Manager, Northern Cherries

Gloabl Sales and Operations, World Fresh Exports Inc.

<p>Sarah started with World Fresh Exports Inc. as a Logistics Coordinator in 2013. Currently, she oversees global sales and operations, developing tailored programs for both domestic and international customers. Her twelve years of experience include coordinating transportation, working in packing facilities, conducting farm inspections, handling sales and marketing, and interacting with international clientele. She regularly travels to stay informed on global market trends and agriculture practices, providing insights on adding value for customers and growers.&nbsp;</p>

Owner, Orchard Hill Farms

<p style='margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;' id="isPasted"><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;">Ravi Dhaliwal's family moved to South Okanagan in 1995 where Ravi's family purchased a 16 acre apple orchard. &nbsp;Ravi started early operating the tractor and helping where he can - especially when we had 600 bins production of Red Delicious!&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;">After High School graduation, Ravi went off to Okanagan College where he achieved a BBA degree with a major in finance. &nbsp;Ravi didn't head into the financial world but instead came right back to the family farm to run it and start renovating it. In 2010 and 2013 more acreage was purchased to help the family endeavor more into farming. &nbsp;</span></p><p style='margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;'><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;">Currently, Ravi's family has 42 acres of which 26 acres is mixed production with apples and cherries - and plans to never plant any grapes - only more fruit trees!</span></p>

Orchard Manager, Laughing Coyote Orchards Ltd.

Owner/Operator Dorenberg

Gold Crown Nursery, LLC

Partner, Business Advisory Services, MNP

<p><strong id="isPasted">Geoff McIntyre, CPA, CA&nbsp;</strong>is a Partner based in MNP&rsquo;s Kelowna office. As Leader of Agriculture and Food and Beverage for MNP&rsquo;s Thompson-Okanagan Region, Geoff specializes in serving the agriculture industry working with agriculture clients of varying sizes to help them achieve their goals. &nbsp;With over 30 years of public practice experience, Geoff works closely with his clients to develop tax-efficient business structures, tax-minimizing strategies and effective tax-compliance services. &nbsp;He also takes great pride in helping owner-managers implement systems and strategies to regain control of their businesses and reduce the time they spend on day-to-day operational issues.</p>

Entomologist, B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food

<p>Susanna has been working with the Ministry of Agriculture as the provincial extension entomologist for the BC interior since January 2008. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and MSc. and Ph.D. degrees in entomology from the University of Alberta and Washington State University and respectively. She works with industry, government, and other partners to address insect pest issues.</p>

Owner, Bellarosa Orchards

<p>Sam DiMaria along with his wife Patricia and son Ross manage and operate about 62 acres of apples and pears in the Glenmore Valley within the city of Kelowna. &nbsp;The DiMaria family has been involved in the tree fruit industry since 1961. Starting in 1985 they embarked on a plan to replant their older apple blocks to the new and emerging high density plantings. In the last few years they have started on a second generation of higher density and multi leader tree systems. Constant innovation and keeping abreast of developing technology for the fruit industry is a standard practise in their farming operation.</p>

Viticulture Specialist, Michigan State University

<p>Michael Reinke is the Michigan State University Extension Viticulture Specialist located in Berrien County. He received his PhD in Entomology from MSU and has several years of industry experience in insect monitoring, pheromone-based insect management, and insect behavior in agricultural systems. In his role as viticulture specialist, Mike assists grape growers in all aspects of production for both wine and juice processing. When not focused on his extension activities, his research work revolves around incorporating tools and techniques from various production systems with the goal of improving grape growers&rsquo; resilience and future sustainability. One particular avenue of research is looking at the potential for high-precision crop spraying using unmanned aerial spraying systems (spray drones) in temperate specialty crops like grapes and other small fruits.</p>

Director of Agritech Adoption, Innovate BC

<p>Bryan Wattie is the Director of Agritech Adoption at Innovate BC. Innovate BC is a crown corporation focused on supporting innovative technology adoption and development in British Columbia. Bryan got his start in agriculture at young age, picking potatoes in New Brunswick, where his father ran a potato seed farm and worked as an agrologist. Bryan has worked on a variety of farms across Canada (organic field vegetable, greenhouses, conventional fruit and veg, &nbsp;ranching, and cash crop operations). He obtained his Masters and Bachelors in Bioresource Engineering at McGill University. &nbsp;Over the past decade he has worked for different Canadian agtech start-ups and wanted to leverage that experience to supporting the adoption of new technologies on BC Farms through the on-farm Technology Adoption Program is a competitive program which provides cost-shared non repayable funding (grants) to successful applicant to adopt new and innovative technology for their operations.</p>

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

<p>Dr. Hao Xu studied plant adaptation to drought in Gurbantunggut Desert at Chinese Academy of Sciences during 2002-2008, and water transport in mycorrhizal roots of woody perennials at University of Alberta during 2010-2016. Since 2017, she became a researcher of tree fruit physiology at Summerland Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She studies how fruit trees respond to abiotic stresses and horticultural mitigations. Currently, her team is investigating the use of innovative rootstocks, canopy management and plant growth regulators to regulate fruit set and crop load, improve fruit production, and enhance tree resilience against temperature extremes and water stresses. &nbsp;</p>

Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada - Summerland Research & Development Centre

CEO, ABAzyne Bioscience

<p id="isPasted">Jerome is an award-winning innovator and experienced executive. He has been a member of teams that have received national awards in innovation and science. As a Director General at the National Research Council, he was a member of a team that was awarded the National Public Service Award of Excellence for contribution in science – the first 100% bio-jet fuel flight in the world.</p><p>As Vice President at Biorignal Food &amp; Science, he was the manager of the team that received the National Research Council’s Innovative Product Award. The team accomplished four world firsts in lipid biosynthesis. He has held a variety of executive positions in public research organizations, executive government, private sector companies and NGO’s. These include: President and CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan; Director General of NRC’s Plant Biotechnology Institute (PBI), President and CEO of Genome Prairie; Vice President Corporate Development of Bioriginal Food &amp; Science Corporation; and Vice President Agricultural Biotechnology, Small Industry and Corporate Services at the Saskatchewan Research Council.</p><p>His extensive network in the science and innovation is based on numerous international collaborations and service on the Boards of prominent science and technology organizations. He was award an Honorary Doctorate from Karunya University in India.</p>

Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Dr. José Ramón Úrbez-Torres is a Research Scientist at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Summerland Research and Development Centre in British Columbia since 2013. He also serves as Adjunct Professor in the Biology Department at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus since 2017 and as Professional Affiliate in the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University in Ontario since 2020. Dr. Úrbez-Torres received a postgraduate degree in viticulture, enology and wine marketing in 2001 from the International Social Science Council and the degree of Agricultural Engineer in 2004 from the University of Valladolid in Spain. He completed a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 2009 at the University of California Davis. Dr. Úrbez-Torres has studied diseases of woody perennial crops since 1999 and his current research at AAFC focuses on the development and implementation of sustainable management strategies against fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases of grapevines and tree fruits in Canada.

Agritech Partnerships Manager, BC Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI), Simon Fraser University

Rachel holds a PhD in Plant Science from McGill University and has worked in agricultural research in BC and Quebec since 2007. She has industry and academic experience working with fruit trees, vineyards, cannabis, and field crops in nutrient management, pest management, and biostimulants. With a passion for innovative solutions in agriculture, Rachel is particularly interested in leveraging technology to address real-world challenges on farms and in food production in BC. Currently, Rachel serves as the Agritech Partnerships Manager at the BC Centre for Agritech Innovation based at Simon Fraser University, specializing in fostering collaborations between academia and industry to bridge the gap between research and practical application. She is excited to share insights on how advanced technologies can transform the agricultural landscape.

Tree Fruit Extension Specialist, Washington State University

<p>Bernardita Sallato is a Tree Fruit Extension Specialist at Washington State University. She is originally from Chile, where she obtained her B.S. and M.S. degrees in plant physiology and fruit production. Before coming to WSU, she was an assistant professor of soil and plant nutrition and director of a soil and plant nutrient service laboratory, where she gained experience supporting tree fruit growers in this area. Her program at WSU also focuses on soil fertility, plant nutrition and stress management.</p>

Vineyard Technician, Andrew Peller Ltd.

<p id="isPasted">Marine Bos arrived in the Okanagan in 2019, from Bordeaux, France, where she studied Oenology &nbsp;and Viticulture.</p>

Regional Agrologist, B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food

<p>Chris Zabek is a Regional Agrologist based in Kelowna with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food. His work with the Ministry has included collaborative land-use planning on and adjacent to agricultural lands. He has also been involved in the development and delivery of initiatives aimed at industry growth and environmental sustainability.</p>

Vineyard Manager/Viticulturist for Sidhu & Sons Nursery

Having worked in the wine industry since 2007, Dominik has spent roughly half of his career on the winemaking side, and the other half in grape production. He has had the opportunity to work and gather experience in the winemaking industry in Germany, where he was born, raised, and received his education in winemaking & viticulture, Australia, and now Canada, where he and his family now live. After spending around a decade at a winery in the South Okanagan, he took on the role of Vineyard Manager/Viticulturist for Sidhu & Sons Nursery, managing vineyards in the Thompson and Similkameen valleys, at the end of 2021. Getting to experience the great variety of climatic conditions and region-specific practices around the globe, he’s come to appreciate BC for its unique place in the world of vines & wines. At Sidhu & Sons, he partners with the team of Monte Creek Ranch winery and together, they are heavily focused on adapting winemaking in BC to the challenges of climate change. Doing so through combining cold resilient hybrid varieties with innovative methods to make the cultivation and vinification of traditional varieties, like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Cabernet Franc, not only possible/survivable, but also economically viable, in todays ever more challenging climatic and market conditions.

Senior Case Manager, B.C. Farm Industry Review Board

<p>Sara Thiesson is the Senior Case Manager for the BC Farm Industry Review Board (BCFIRB). She is responsible for overseeing all BCFIRB appeals and complaints. This includes providing alternative dispute resolution, conducting site visits and investigations, and the provision of tribunal hearing services for the Board. Sara brings a diverse background in justice services to BCFIRB, beginning with a career in corrections, followed by 6 years working on an outreach team in downtown Victoria. She completed her education at Royal Roads University obtaining a degree in Justice Studies. Sara then chose to support the public of British Columbia in her role at BCFIRB and has been with BCFIRB for 5 years, assisting individuals involved in often difficult, confusing, and time-consuming complaint and appeal processes.</p>

Horticulturalist, Pearl Agricultural Consulting Inc.

<p>Molly is a Professional Agrologist and tree fruit grower. As the owner and operator of Pearl Agricultural Consulting, Inc. she works with farmers in the Okanagan and Kootenay-Boundary areas, providing support, on-farm extension services and conducting research and innovation trials. </p>

Professor, Wine Research Centre, The University of British Columbia

Dr. Castellarin is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Viticulture. Dr. Castellarin received his PhD from the University of Udine (Italy). He has studied and worked as a scholar at the Hochschule Geisenheim University (Germany) and at University of California Davis (USA). In 2009, he received the Rudolf Hermanns Prize for outstanding scientific achievements in horticulture and viticulture. Dr. Castellarin investigates the ripening process in grapes and the biological mechanisms that determine grape and wine quality. Moreover, he studies how grape quality is affected by environmental factors (temperature and water availability). Dr. Castellarin is developing viticultural strategies (irrigation, crop load and canopy management, hormone and biostimulant applications) to improve ripening and the production of phenolic and aroma compounds in grapes.

Entomologist, Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program

Evan Esch is the Entomologist for the Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program (OKSIR). He has been there since 2015, working with local apple and pear growers to help keep codling moth larvae out of their fruit. Evan studied entomology at the University of Alberta, where he earned his MSc in insect-plant interactions. He worked on various pest problems in Alberta and Switzerland, before coming to Kelowna to join the team at OKSIR. Evan also does some pest management consulting, including with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and BC Fruit Growers Association.

Founder and CEO, Advanced Agriscience

Dr. Collin Juurakko is the Founder and CEO of Advanced Agriscience, a synthetic biology company headquartered in the Fraser Valley developing new solutions for crop frost protection. Dr. Juurakko holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics from Queen's University, where his research led to improved understanding of frost formation mechanisms and plant freezing tolerance. Since leaving academia, Collin moved home to BC and founded Advanced Agriscience to translate his research into practical tools for growers to strengthen climate resilience of their crops. His innovative work has been recognized by awards from groups including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Bioenterprise, SVG THRIVE, Arrell Food Institute, and Canada SynBio. Dr. Juurakko's areas of expertise spans plant genetics, ice nucleation, ice-binding proteins, freezing stress response, and climate adaptation strategies. He is excited to share the potential of his research to support BC horticulture and to meet and learn from the growers and attendees.

Researcher, University of British Columbia Okanagan

Intellectual Property Manager, Summerland Varieties Corp

Erin Wallich is the Intellectual Property (IP) Manager for Summerland Varieties Corp. (SVC) and is responsible for the global registration and management of SVC’s IP, such as Plant Breeders’ Rights, plant patents, and trademarks, as well as the enforcement of those IP rights. After graduating from the University of Victoria with a M.Sc. in Plant Physiology, Erin started her career as a research scientist in a Douglas-fir breeding and nursery program in Washington State. She then returned to Canada where she worked for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Summerland before joining SVC in 2013 to initially manage the research program with AAFC and, later, the company’s IP portfolio. Erin is a member of the Advisory Committee for Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights office and is the Chair of the Fruit Section for the International Community of Breeders of Asexually Reproduced Horticultural Plants (CIOPORA).

Owner & Viticulturist, Blue Mountain Winery

Owner & Viticulturist, Bartier Bros Vineyard & Winery

Regional Agrologist & Grape Specialist, Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Post-Harvest Physiologist, Private Consultant

Recently retired after working 35 years with the BC tree fruit industry as a postharvest physiologist focused on fruit quality, nutrition, maturity and storage.

Cherry Grower & Sales Agronomist, TerraLink Horticulture Inc.

Vineyard and Plant Health Consulting

Dr. Judit Monis began her grapevine disease work in Oregon where she developed a state-of-the-art commercial grapevine disease testing lab for Agritope. She left this for a position in Spain as the European director of Plant Pathology R&D for Seminis Vegetable Seeds (now part of Bayer) where she oversaw five R&D stations and was responsible for disease testing in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Later she worked for USDA before coming to California to develop and manage a disease testing program for Eurofins STA Laboratories. In 2016, Judit left to develop her own consulting business focusing in grapevine, fruit and nut tree plant health. Judit holds a doctorate degree in Plant Pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received post-doctoral training at the University of California at Berkeley.

CPA, CA, MNP Assurance and Accounting

<p>Tori Keiffer, CPA, CA is a member of MNP’s Assurance and Accounting team in Kelowna. Tori works closely with agriculture and food and beverage clients, delivering a full suite of tailored assurance and accounting services. With more than a decade of experience, she supports her clients with inventory costing, financial reporting, compliance services, and farm income programs. Raised on a farm in the Fraser Valley, Tori is passionate about the agricultural, winery, and food and beverage industries. Her clients include wineries and vineyards, cideries, craft brewing and food processors, orchard and packing house operations, and general farming businesses.</p>

Associate Professor of Tree Fruit Physiology, Washington State University

Dr. Lee Kalcsits is an Associate Professor of tree fruit physiology in the Department of Horticulture at the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, Washington, USA. He serves as the Endowed Chair of Tree Fruit Environmental Physiology and Programmatic Lead at the WSU Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center. His research program works towards understanding the physiological interactions between environment, horticultural management and genetics of apple, pear, and sweet cherry.

Professor, Tree Fruit Extension Specialist, Washington State University

<p>Dr. Matthew Whiting leads an applied, whole-tree physiology research, extension, and teaching program at Washington State University that addresses key issues limiting sweet cherry growers&rsquo; ability to efficiently, consistently, and sustainably produce superlative fruit. &nbsp;His team takes a pragmatic and collaborative approach to solve industry challenges central to orchard production efficiency (e.g., development of planar architectures, mechanization of operations), yield security (e.g., pollination biology, precision pollination systems), and fruit quality. Dr. Whiting&rsquo;s program goal is to improve orchard production efficiency while growing the highest quality fruit. &nbsp;Over his 20 years at Washington State University, Dr. Whiting&rsquo;s program has secured more than $8M in research funding and published 100+ research/extension publications. &nbsp;His extension program has been leading the transition to high efficiency orchard systems using a model of grower collaboration throughout Washington state, and around the world. </p>

Plant Pathologist, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food

<p style="margin: 0cm;font-size: medium;font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-decoration: none;" id="isPasted">Katie Goldenhar is a plant pathologist with the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food based in Kelowna. She works to strengthen the provinces agriculture sectors through education and applied research on improved disease identification and management. Previously, she worked at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribuisness as a horticulture plant pathologist. &nbsp;Ms. Goldenhar obtained her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph and her Master of Science in Plant Pathology from Michigan State University.&nbsp;</p>