Speakers
Adril Syversen (NOR)
Audrey Kulichkov (RUS)
Barry McFarland (USA)
Bernard Gravel, grower, Vignoble de la grande Allée (CAN)
Charles Vincent, Ph.D. in Entomology at McGill University (CAN)
Since 1983, he worked as an entomologist for the Horticultural Research and Development Center (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. In 1984, he has been appointed adjunct professor at McGill University. He has been appointed as adjunct at Université du Québec à Montréal in 1992, and, since 2000, is invited professor at l’Université de Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens, France). He co-supervised the work of 36 graduate students and 100 interns. He works on alternatives to insecticides, notably knowledge-based methods, including biological (e.g. biopesticides) and physical control methods. To date he published 182 scientific (refereed) papers, 11 review articles (refereed), 50 book chapters, and more than 200 technical papers. He edited 25 books or technical bulletins. He did >500 presentations before various national and international audiences.
Claude Béchard, Quebec Agriculture Minister (CAN)
Hans Christian Jost, Former president of Grape grower association of Nova Scotia, Canada
Mr. Hans Christian Jost is a leader in the establishment of Nova Scotia’s wine industry and an avid supporter of rural economic development.
Hans Rosenfield, Ph.D., Agricultural University of Norway, Norway
Mr. Rosenfield expertise is in vegetable breeding, fruit growing and greenhouse cultivation of grapes. From 1976 to 2002, he ran a market garden, growing vegetables, strawberries and mushrooms. Grape grower and wine maker since 2004, ha has a vineyard of about 2000 m2, with grapes of different varieties for wine making, mostly in greenhouses.
His principal projects is a new winery including bed and breakfast. His family also produces an internationally-acclaimed cheese from milk produced on their farm.
Harri Poom (EST)
Harlene Hatterman-Valenti, Ph.D., associate professor at North Dakota State University, USA
Dr. Hatterman-Valenti joined Plant Sciences as assistant professor (90% research/10% teaching) in September 2000 to explore opportunities for growing and marketing new and existing high-value crops. She was promoted to associate professor in 2007. He previous work includes Res. Assoc. at FMC Corp., responsible for primary herbicide discovery and field coordination of new herbicides for N. and S. Am. and Weed Extension Specialist at Iowa State Univiversity for management issues in horticulture.
Her research deals with production aspects of new and existing high-value crops including several vegetables ( potato, onion and cabbage), several small fruits (grapes, juneberries, and raspberries), and herbaceous ornamentals, with a weed management emphasis.
Helen Fisher, Ph. D., Canada Associate professor, retired, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Fruit Extension specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agricultural and Food, Harrow, Ontario (1973-1976). Horticulture Instructor, Fairview Agricultural and Technical College, Fairview, Alberta (1976-1978). Research scientist (grapevine physiology and grapevine breeding), Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Vineland (1978-1996). Associate professor (viticulture), Department of Plant Agriculture/Vineland, Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph (1996-2011).
Jacques Petit (CAN)
Jean-Paul Lussiaa-Berdou (CAN)
Judith Vass, SAQ (CAN)
Julien Saguez (CAN)
Julien works on different agricultural pests including wireworms, true armyworm, western bean cutworm and others. he study the biodiversity and the prevalence of these pests in Quebec fields. They work to develop IPM to control these insects and I use different kinds of traps (pheromone, sticky traps and automated). He also has an interest on the impact of climate change on the distribution area (actual and future) of several species. he likes new technologies associated with entomology. Also photographer.
Kaspar Sunins (LAT)
Larbi Zeroulala, agronomist, MAPAQ (CAN)
Mr. Zerouala expertise is in fruit and vegetable production, viticulture and organic agriculture. He has 28 years of experience as an agronimist consultant. He worked on blue tubes for young vines and he his reponsible of a project on grapevine varieties for Quebec region. He also write a paper “Tout ce que vous devez savoir sur la vigne” available on Agri-Reseau.
Lisa Smiley (USA)
Marc Ménard, Financière agricole du Québec (CAN)
Mr. Ménard holds a Bachelor’s degree in bio-agronomy from McGill University, zootechnics option obtained in 1982. For 12 years, he has acted as a financing advisor for all agricultural productions and more particularly apple and viticulture. He has had a career in the public service for more than 25 years, having worked successively at the Régie des assurances agricole, at the Société de financement agricole and currently at the Financière agricole du Québec. He is a member of the provincial economic reference committees which produced the vine and apple budgets.
Mark Hart, Mt. Ashwaby Vineyard & Orchard, Bayfield, Wisconsin, USA
Mr. Hart expertise is in grape breeding for cold climates/short seasons and viticutural research for northern/short season climates.
His grape breeding activities began in Minnesota in 1991, and have continued since 1995 on the south shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. The primary focus of my breeding effort is to develop varieties that can ripen in very cool or short seasons and produce a high quality, vinifera-style wine; while retaining sufficient disease resistance, productivity and winter hardiness. The breeding results in about 2500 seedlings per year, and utilizes an extensive parent vineyard with >400 named varieties and extensive variety trials.
Mr. Hart is past-editor (and frequent author) of the MN Grape Growers’ Association “Notes from the North”.
Max McFarland, PhD., Co-owner & Operator, Mac’s Creek Winery and Vineyards, Lexington, Nebraska, USA
Focus and expertise is in the development and implementation of research. He has been working in research design, both in education and in the wine industry for the past twenty-five years. He has been involved with the wine industry in Nebraska since the late 1990’s. McFarland currently serves as the chairman, appointed by Governor Dave Heineman, of the Nebraska Grape and Wine Board.
His research in the wine industry has focused on the minimizing winter damage to cold climate hybrids and the efficacy in the use of ozone to reduce usage of pesticides in grapevine disease control. Dr. McFarland has presented his research throughout North America and Europe.
Mélanie Greffard (CAN)
Odile Carisse, Ph.D., plant pathologist with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (CAN)
She is a plant pathologist and a world expert in molecular aerobiology, crop disease management and theoretical crop disease modeling. During the last decade, Dr. Carisse’ research has taken a path of increasing specialization and of integration of various disciplines namely aerobiology, epidemiology, mathematical modeling, decision/sampling theory and molecular quantification of pathogens inoculum and resistance to fungicides. The resulting knowledge landscape is a powerful driver for solving crop disease problems and for adoptions by stakeholders. She is working with the industry to implement networks of airborne pathogens and fungicide resistance monitoring and improved disease management decision systems. She was awarded by the Canadian Society of Plant Pathology Outstanding Research Award (2015) and elected foreign correspondent of the French Academy of Agriculture. Dr Carisse is spokesperson for the Biovigilance research platform. This platform aim at promoting research on temporal and spatial evolution of plant pests as influenced by agricultural systems, protection products, cultivars, farming practices, and climate change.
Paul Domoto, Ph.D., professor at Iowa State University, Iowa, USA
Dr. Domoto is a State Extension Specialist for Fruit Crops-manages grape trials around the state. He has expertise in pomology (apple scion/rootstock relationships), hardy Persian walnut breeding and grape hardiness trials.
He developed the ISU Viticulture Home Page to provide prospective and established growers in Iowa with computer accessible, regionally applicable, timely information on grape culture.
Peter Hemstad, Grape Breeder, University of Minnesota, USA
Mr. Hemstad is grape breeder at the University of Minnesota since 1985. He his co-owner and winemaker of St. Croix Vineyards winery since 1992. His expertise is in grape breeding for extreme cold hardiness, disease resistance, and high wine quality. He also work on wine making strategies with cold hardy cultivars.
Mr. Hemstad is primarily responsible for the development of: Frontenac, Frontenac gris, La Crescent, and Marquette.
Peter Lorenzen (DEN)
Richard Bastien, oenologist (CAN)
Of Burgundian origin, he obtained his national oenologist diploma at the University of Champagne-Ardennes in Reims in 2004. He came to settle in Quebec the same year and held the position of cellar master at the vineyard of la Rivière du Chêne in Saint-Eustache until 2007. In 2006, he co-founded the oenological consulting firm ŒnoQuébec, in Montreal, which provides technical support to producers of alcoholic beverages in Quebec. In 2008, he also co-founded R&J Œnology, a supplier of oenological products across Canada.
Seth McFarland (USA)
Sigrid Gertsen-Briand, Lallemand (CAN)
Sigrid has a degree in Microbiology from McGill University in Montréal, and started her fermentation career in a quality control lab of Mosti Mondiale, a kit and fresh juice supplier. She then worked at Pelee Island Winery before joining Lallemand in 2001.
Tom Plocher, Northern Winework, Inc., Hugo, Minnesota, USA
Mr. Plocher expertise is in grape breeding, microvinification, viticulture, teaching and writing. Since 1982, he has grown and tested over 300 grape varieties and made wine from many of them. Two named selections from 14 years of grape breeding: Skandia (in Europe) and Petite Pearl (in North America).
He made four trips to northern China, two trips to the Baltics and Belarus to explore vineyards and wineries, two USDA Foreign Agriculture Service grants for travel, one grant from Heilongjiang, China Institute of Horticultural Science. NDSU appointee to the North Dakota Wine and Grape Committee.
Mr. Plocher is co-author of Northern Winework: Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates. He is involved in the Elmer Swenson Preservation Project. He is working to foster the new North Dakota grape and wine industry and viticulture on the North Shore of Lake Superior and he is breeding hardy grapes for red wine.
Tyler Kaban, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
Mr. Kaban expertise is in grape breeding and greenhouse grape culture. He has five years experience breeding grapes and three years experience growing grapes in the greenhouse.
He is currently working toward a Masters degree in Plant Sciences. Thesis project deals with aspects of grape breeding including the potential to breed grapes high in resveratrol.
