Better Farming takes pride in providing our readers with expert advice and opinions. Below is a list of our regular contributors.
Terry Aberhart
Terry farms near Langenburg, Sask. with his family and runs Sure Growth Solutions Inc., a professional independent agronomy consulting company. Terry also operates Aberhart Ag Solutions, a marketing and distribution company, with his family. He explores developments in precision agriculture and ways to improve the sustainability of the ag industry in his “Growing the Future” column in Better Farming.
Kaitlynn Anderson
Kaitlynn was raised on a cow-calf beef and cash crop farm in Lambton County, Ont. She participated in a variety of 4-H clubs, such as field crops, sheep and conservation. In 2013 and 2014, Kaitlynn represented her local agricultural society as the ambassador of the Brigden Fair. She graduated from the University of Guelph in 2017 with an honours degree in food, agriculture and resource economics.
Kate Ayers
Kate grew up on a beef and cash crop farm in Simcoe County, Ont. Inspired by her passion for agriculture, she completed a degree in agricultural science at the University of Guelph in 2017. Kate always had a love for writing but it was not until her last year of undergrad that she realized the potential to pursue a career in ag communications. And what a revelation it was for her! She also runs track competitively in Victoria, B.C. and is training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Moe Agostino
Moe is chief commodity strategist with Farms.com Risk Management. He has over 30 years of experience in commodity risk management. He assists clients in protecting themselves from the volatility in commodity price swings through his email and text marketing programs. Moe is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute and he holds a derivatives market specialist designation. Written together with Abhinesh Gopal, the “Moe’s Market Minute” columns in Better Farming and Better Pork provide Canadian producers with valuable insights into grain, fertilizer and livestock markets.
Jim Algie
Jim is an Owen Sound, Ont. - based writer and regular contributor to Better Farming. A former staff reporter with weekly newspapers in Collingwood and Thornbury, he retired from full-time work in 2008 after 30 years with the Owen Sound daily newspaper, The Sun Times. As a reporter and columnist, he specialized in agriculture and received numerous awards for his writing. He’s five-time winner of Western Ontario Newspaper Awards and a past winner of a Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation award for column writing.
Jeremy Boychyn
Jeremy is the agronomy research extension specialist at the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions and writer for the commissions’ agronomy e-newsletter “The Growing Point.” He holds his P.Ag. and an M.Sc. in plant physiology from the University of Guelph in Ontario. Jeremy provides timely agronomic information for Western Canadian producers in his “Grain Matters” column in Better Farming.
Joe Callahan
Joe retired from his role as coordinator of journalism; online, print and broadcast at Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology in 2013. There, he served as a full-time faculty member in the School of Media Studies since 1983. He has freelanced for Better Farming and Farm & Country, its predecessor, since the late 1980s. He also continues work on his long-term photojournalism project called In Search of the Family Farm, from which Better Farming has published multiple excerpts. He lives near Campbellford, Ont.
Jackie Clark
Jackie attended the University of Guelph for both her undergraduate degree in agricultural science and her master of science in plant agriculture. She has worked in primary academic and industrial research on diverse topics such as cover copping, innovations for farmers in the developing world, and biotech strategies for improved drought resistance in legumes. Jackie has always found passion in communicating about ag and is thrilled to be a part of the Better Farming and Better Pork editorial team. Aside from research and writing, Jackie spends her time reading, cooking, and training for marathons.
Campbell Cork
Campbell is a writer based in Mount Forest, Wellington County, Ont. He has published a number of local history books. He is a partner in a community newspaper in Mount Forest. He has written for Better Farming and its predecessor, Farm & Country, for 37 years. He attributes his good fortune and longevity in the writing world to the love and inspiration from his wonderful wife and two splendid daughters. His popular “Rural Roots” column in Better Farming provides glimpses into the history of rural Ontario.
Dale Cowan, CCA-ON
Dale is the senior agronomist and sales manager for AGRIS and Wanstead Farmers Co-operatives. In 2016, Dale won the International Certified Crop Adviser’s Adviser of the Year award for his exceptional customer service and leadership in the industry. He graduated from the University of Guelph in 1975 with a diploma in agri-business and received his bachelor of science in agriculture in 1978. He shares timely scientific research to help farmers shape their crop production decisions in his “YieldMatter$” column of Better Farming.
Diego Flammini
Diego was born and raised in the steel city of Hamilton, Ont. He earned his diploma in print and broadcast journalism from Mohawk College in 2013 and has contributed to newspapers in the Niagara Region and other websites. While not from an ag background, Diego has learned about the importance of the industry and its complexities. He is excited to tell the stories that matter to farmers across North America.
Andrea Gal
Andrea farms with her family in Oxford County, Ont. They have cash crop and cow-calf operations, as well as seed and fertilizer dealerships. She also co-manages a research farm, through which they conduct field-sized trials focusing on responsible nutrient management. Andrea serves on the board of directors of Farm Management Canada and volunteers as the content manager with the Ag Women’s Network. She completed her PhD in history in 2016, with a focus on rural Ontario.
Geoff Geddes
Geoff obtained his bachelor of arts with a major in English at the University of Alberta, where he also attended law school. In 2010, he obtained a public relations diploma from Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton. He spent five years as the communications coordinator for Alberta Pork before launching a freelance writing business that specializes in agriculture.
Rachel Gingell
Rachel is a tractor mechanic, auctioneer and all-around machinery enthusiast. Rachel is passionate about using the power of the Internet to keep tractors running and farms producing. Her popular YouTube channel features regular repair tutorials, sale reports, and insights into rare and collectible machinery. Rachel is an alumnus of Cedarville University and Missouri Auction School. Besides tractors, Rachel also enjoys Honda motorcycles, baking and sewing. She reviews older-model tractors in her “In the Shop with Rachel” column of Better Farming.
Abhinesh Gopal
Abhinesh is head of commodity research with Farms.com Risk Management. He is an agricultural commodities specialist with over 12 years of international agribusiness experience in banking, derivatives trading and consulting. Abhinesh holds a master of business administration and a bachelor of technology. He works closely with Moe Agostino, chief commodity strategist with Farms.com Risk Management, on the “Moe’s Market Minute” columns in Better Farming and Better Pork to provide Canadian producers with valuable insights into grain, fertilizer and livestock markets.
Michelle Jones
Michelle is a writer based in Regina, Sask. She has a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Regina and is writing her thesis for her master of arts degree. Michelle has published articles in Canadian newspapers and agricultural magazines, as well as in an international anthology of scholarly essays. She has worked in the ag industry for over 15 years.
Jessica Law
Jessica is a swine veterinarian based in Red Deer, Alta. She graduated with her doctorate of veterinary medicine from the University of Calgary in 2015 and is an associate at Prairie Swine Health Services. Jessica is passionate about preventative medicine, welfare, pathology and epidemiology.
Mary Loggan
Mary is a University of Guelph graduate and operates an equine facility. She was raised on a dairy farm in Oxford County, Ont. Growing up she participated in many 4-H clubs and livestock competitions, further sparking her interest in agriculture. Combined with a love for writing, Mary is able to apply her background and skills to the Better Farming team.
Patrick Lynch, CCA-ON
Patrick has worked with Ontario producers for over 40 years and still serves as a private crop consultant for a small number of farmers. He assists with Canada's Outdoor Farm Show equipment demonstrations and is regularly invited to speak at crop meetings. Patrick also offers agricultural sales training. He holds a bachelor of science in agriculture, as well as a master of science. Patrick provides his grounded insights in crop production in “The Lynch Files” column of Better Farming.
Hollyn Maloney
Hollyn is a swine and poultry vet based in Steinbach, Man. She graduated with her doctorate of veterinary medicine from the University of Calgary in 2019 and works as an associate at Prairie Swine Health Services in partnership with Buckingham Ag. Hollyn also completed a masters in public health with a focus on global health at the University of Alberta. Her experiences in swine veterinary practice inspire the information she shares in her “Herd Health” column in Better Pork.
Emily McKinlay
Emily is a cow-calf and crop farmer in Blue Mountain, Ont. She graduated from University of Guelph in 2020 with her BSc in Animal Biology and in 2022 with an MSc in Ruminant Nutrition. Emily raises Red Angus and Simmental cattle with a focus on genetics, data, and nutrition, and is passionate about improving the ag industry by sitting on a variety of boards and committees and sharing farming stories.
Taryn Milton
Taryn resides in Saskatchewan and grew up on a grain and cattle farm in the northeast part of the province. She completed her bachelor of arts in journalism in 2015 and has worked in the journalism and communication fields since graduation. Taryn is excited to use her background in agriculture to help tell the stories of farmers in Western Canada.
Richard Smelski, MSc in Ag
Richard resides on a Perth County, Ont. farm with his wife Jean. Over the course of his career, Richard has farmed, and handled sales and training. He is a founding member of the Ontario Pork Industry Council, the Ontario Pork Congress and the Stratford Perth Community Foundation. Richard’s motto, “Dwell on the solution, not the problem” is evident in his thought-provoking “Second Look” department in Better Pork.
Nicholas Van Allen
Nicholas is a student-at-law at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, N.S. and an articling student in Goderich, Ont. He grew up in Middlesex County, Ont. He has written for Better Farming since 2016, focusing largely on legislative issues pertaining to farming, government agricultural policy, and environmental issues. Prior to studying law, Nicholas earned his PhD in history, with a focus on rural Ontario, at the University of Guelph.
Ralph Winfield, PEng
Ralph holds a bachelor of science in agriculture, a bachelor of applied science and a master of science in agriculture from the University of Toronto. He taught at both the Ridgetown Agricultural College and the Woodstock campus of Fanshawe College. He also worked for Ontario Hydro as an agricultural applications engineer. In 1974, he moved from Toronto to the family farm in Elgin County, Ont. He has written columns on farm and agricultural engineering issues for Better Farming for 20 years.