| | HUB Office - Contact Information
The Ag-Info Centre in Stettler will provide a way for members of Alberta's agriculture industry to access specialists, information and services within Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.
The Centre is staffed with specialists in the areas of crops, specialty crops, beef, forage, business management, and new ventures. Resource agents take all calls, answer questions, forward the caller to a specialist or refer the caller to other information sources. Staff are experienced at handling producer inquiries, from program information and production questions to diagnosing complex agricultural issues. We are the link to Alberta Agriculture's people, services, programs across the province.
Hours of Operation:
8.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday, except statutory holidays
How to Contact the Centre
Toll-free in Alberta: 310 FARM (310-3276)
Out of province 403-742-7901
Currently, the 'in-house' specialists and resource agents at the Centre are:
Ross D. Hutchison - Branch Head, Alberta Ag-Info Centre. Ross has a B.Sc. A. Plant Science from the University of Saskatchewan. He started with AAFRD in 1989 as a District Agriculturalist. Ross became a Forage Extension Specialist in January 1994. Today Ross coordinates activities of the Centre staff to achieve the goals of Agriculture & Food. Collaborates and partners with divisions and industry on common goals. Works with Agriculture Opportunities Fund team in regard to funding of applied research associations. Maintains and expands industry contacts relative to issues and information needs. Coaching and teamwork is the best way to reach our goals.
Deborah Heidt - (Branch Administrator) Deb has worked as a client service representative for Alberta Agriculture since 1988, first in the Lacombe office and then the Stettler office. Heidt and her husband farm in the Mirror/Bashaw area. Deb assists in the day to day operation of the centre, including financial & personnel administrative duties.
Ken Ziegler - (Beef- Forage Specialist) For the past 20+ years, Ken has been keenly interested in the animal/pasture interaction, to improve the efficiency of converting sunlight energy into a sellable commodity by raising forages and beef. In particular, Ken has focused on grazing management to improve the productivity of pasture which results in either higher stocking rates or an extend grazing season into the winter time. By working with clients, Ken has been able to improve the grazing season well into winter and for cattle to resume grazing in early April thereby reducing the cost of production of the beef cow herd. By developing a low cost production system, the pasture grazier and cattle owner can reap economic benefits while staying environmentally sustainable.
Barry Yaremico - (Beef-Forage Specialist) Barry was raised on a hog and grain farm in North Eastern Alberta. After graduation from the University of Alberta, he worked as a District Agriculturist in Lamont, Lac La Biche and Two Hills. He worked as the lab and beef nutritionist at the O.S. Longman Building for 6 years. Yaremcio worked eight years in private industry as a technical support consultant, crop consultant and a feed mill nutritionist before returning to Alberta Agriculture at the Ag-Info Centre. Barry works with the Beef Group on the Information Review Committee for Ropin the Web, reviewing research and updating information. He is maintaining and including new information in the beef reference library at the centre. Currently Barry is working on his Masters degree.
Stephanie Kosinski - (Forage Specialist) Stephanie has a Bachelor's of Science in Plant Science (Honors) from the University of Alberta and recently joined the Beef/Forage Team at the Ag-Info Centre. Currently, Stephanie is completing her Masters of Science in Plant Science. Stephanie's project examines intercropping perennial forage legumes with cereals for silage production. Stephanie's interested in forage agronomy, with a special focus on forage legume production, as well as sustainable crop production systems.
Doon Pauly - (Crop Specialist) Doon worked on the Cereal and Oilseed Helpline pilot project in 2001. He comes to Alberta Agriculture with extensive industry experience as a researcher and as a crop production specialist. Pauly has Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Master of Science in Soil Fertility degrees, both from the University of Alberta. Soil fertility, fertilizer products and weed management are his primary areas of interest.
Harry Brook - (Crop Specialist) Has a varied career. Graduated from the U of A with a B.Sc. in Agronomy. Has worked as a range land agrologist, cattle manager on the family mixed farm, district agriculturist, beef specialist, agricultural/commercial lender and sales agronomist. Worked on the help line pilot project in 2002 and now is back as a crop specialist.
Neil Whatley - (Crop Specialist) Neil was raised on a mixed farm in Saskatchewan and worked on the farm for numerous years after completing high school. He has a BSc in crop science from the University of Saskatchewan and an MSc in extension from the University of Regina. As well as farming, Neil has worked as a pulse crop agronomist in Saskatchewan and a rural developer in Latin America. His special interests are with pulse crops and integrated cropping systems.
Mark Cutts - (Crop Specialist) Our most recent addition is Mark Cutts, Crop Specialist. Mark has a BSc and MSc in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan. Mark's masters work was in Soil Quality changes under cultivation. Before joining us, Mark worked as an Agronomist in the Central Alberta area and also had a contract teaching position in the Land Reclamation program with the extension division of Olds College.
Tricia Simon - (New Ventures Specialist) Tricia joined our team in 2005 as a Multi-Disciplinary Intern. She has been involved in a variety of projects and has had the opportunity to work with specialists in many areas of agriculture. Tricia grew up on a grain farm near Eatonia, Saskatchewan and is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in Agriculture, majoring in Horticulture. Prior to completing her studies, Tricia worked and travelled in New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and the US. She currently working with the Local/Domestic Market Expansion team as a New Ventures Specialist. Tricia helps start up businesses assess opportunities, develop products and ideas and make connections with the resources they may need to further develop their idea or business.
 |
Rob Spencer - (Irrigated and Specialty Crops Specialist) Rob is a recently migrated native of Saskatchewan from the Saskatoon area. Rob has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Honors) with a major in Horticulture from the University of Saskatchewan and has completed his Masters of Science in Plant Sciences with a focus on post-harvest potato pathology. Rob's training includes the production of most horticultural crops and plant pathology. His work experience includes vegetable crop and anti-fungal research at the U of S and AAFC in Saskatoon.
Ted Nibourg - (Business Management Specialist) Ted returned to Alberta Agriculture & Food in 2003 after a nine year hiatus during which he worked as a private consultant. He originally started with the department as a Regional 4-H Specialist working in the Lethbridge and Peace Regions. He eventually moved into a District Agriculturist role, working in the Three Hills, Claresholm and Red Deer offices. In private practice, Ted focused on cost of production for crops and livestock, precision farming, computer training, agricultural software development and information management. Nibourg has a B.Sc. Agriculture from the University of Alberta with an Animal Science major and Ag. Econ. minor as well as an Advanced Graduate Diploma in Distance Education Technology from Athabasca University. He completed a Masters in Distance Education through internet delivery from Athabasca University in November of 2005.
David Wong - (Market Specialist) Born and raised in Sedgewick Alberta, Dave began his agriculture career with Alberta Agriculture in 1978, beginning as a summer District Agriculturist in Southern Alberta (Lethbridge, Taber, Brooks, Claresholm). From 1979 to 1985, he worked as the District Agriculturist (DA) in Spirit River, followed by an 8 year stint as a DA in Lamont. Following a 5 year hiatus (travelling, obtaining an Education degree in elementary eduction, and covering off various specialist positions during the summer months), Dave returned to Grande Prairie in 1999 as the market specialist for the Peace region. Dave’s primary focus is on the grains and oilseed markets, as well as being involved in the grass and legume seed industry as an information resource.
Betty Birch - (Communication Coordinator) has worked for Alberta Agriculture as a District Home Economist and as a Rural Development Specialist with Organizations, and now has taken on the role of Communications Coordinator for the Ag-Info Centre. She led the team who developed the Cereal and Oilseeds Helpline pilot project, which grew into the Alberta Ag-Info Centre. Betty has a bachelor of science degree in Home Economics from the University of Alberta. She brings a wealth of community, organizations and team experience to the Ag-Info Centre.
Brenda McLellan - (Resource Agent) Brenda worked for many years in the Livestock Marketing Services division (brands office). After privatization of the Brand's Office, she provided public and telephone service at the Alberta Agriculture Stettler District office for 4-H and industry development. Brenda is the publisher for Hay & Livestock listings on Ropin the Web, works with web publishing and leads the Registration Desk.
Mary Ann Nelson - (Resource Agent) Mary Ann has worked for Alberta Agriculture in the Livestock Marketing Services division before coming to the Ag-Info Centre. Mary Ann is publisher for the Organic Directory. She also assists with the budget and web publishing at the Centre.
Susan Haustein - (Resource Agent) Susan comes to the Ag-Info Centre from the department of Alberta Transportation. She is the publisher for Custom Service listings on Ropin the Web, works with the Registration Desk and web publishing. Susan and her husband live in the Nevis area where they are actively farming.
Janet Fletcher - (Resource Agent) Prior to working at the Ag-Info Centre, Janet worked as a Customer Service Representative at Scotiabank, Stettler, over many years. She then worked as a back-up Resource Agent from 2005-2007 and just recently joined the Ag-Info Centre full-time. In addition to answering calls, she responds to or redirects the daily Duke questions, publishes FAQ's on RTW and articles on Foragebeef.ca. Janet and her husband actively farm near Red Willow.
Backup Resource Agents - Heather Lang, Wendy Rowledge, Lorraine McAllister
Backup Specialists - Bill Dietrich (Forage/Beef) |
|