Please describe your agricultural background.
I grew up on a dairy farm just outside of Belleville, Ontario where I was involved in all aspects of our family farm. During a 10 year career I traveled the world working as a professional dairy cattle fitter, working with some of the best cattle and dairymen in the world. This career provided me with the opportunity to see how dairy farming and management was approached in several different parts of the world: Europe, Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, Mexico, U.S. and several provinces in Canada. I have also worked for one of the leading A.I. companies in the world for about 13 years. In this role I was involved with progressive minded breeders and dairy producers in a sales and consulting role. I also currently own and operate a 50 cow dairy herd of Holsteins and Jerseys breeding under the Willow Creek Jerseys and Matrix Genetics prefixes.

What territory will you cover?
I will be servicing customers in southwestern Ontario.

What are your new responsibilities?
My primary responsibilities will be to provide current and knowledgeable nutrition and dairy management advice to Grand Valley Fortifiers new and existing customer base. Along with Grand Valley Fortifiers I will be committed to incorporating innovative nutritional solutions through our products and services to assist the dairy producer to realize their production and management goals.

What previous positions have you held?
I spent many years working on my family dairy farm being involved in aspects of its operation. Upon completion of my environmental science diploma, I embarked on a 10 year career working globally as a dairy fitter with many great cattle and dairymen. During this time I worked part time and full time for 13 years with one of the leading A.I. companies in the world.

Who has made the biggest impact on your career?
My close family and friends have always had an influence on my career for giving me the passion and commitment to always follow my own goals and strive to meet and exceed the demands of any role or position I have had.

How will you be of the most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
In my role as dairy specialist, I will be providing solid and committed service to benefit our dairy clients in several different ways, from increasing return over feed, to troubleshooting problems on the dairy using on-farm software, to running on-farm diagnostics using the many tools and resources available at Grand Valley Fortifiers.

Why did you choose this company?
I choose this company because of their commitment to quality, service and integrity within the agriculture industry and community at large. Grand Valley Fortifiers is full of diverse people with the common goal of providing optimum results for their clients and colleagues.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
My main goal is to provide reliable, accurate information and service to Grand Valley Fortifiers clients, allowing them to meet and possibly surpass their production goals. By providing sound advice and quality products, I will work to become a highly valued member of my client’s dairy team.  PD