Chris Bodnar – President

Chris Bodnar is an Assistant Professor of Agribusiness at the University of the Fraser Valley’s Agriculture program. For the previous 18 years, he was a vegetable farmer operating Close to Home Organics with his wife, Paige, at Glen Valley Organic Farm in Abbotsford.

Chris has a PhD in Communication from Carleton University and is a Limited License Agrologist, focused on supporting farms in business planning through developing business strategy and production economics. He is also an appeal board member with Agriculture Canada’s Farm Debt Mediation Service. Throughout his time in agriculture, Chris has focused on developing resources to support new entrants to the sector and development of organic production.

Now with the creation of Organic BC, Chris is excited to support the sector’s development with a renewed focus on growth and public engagement.

Jolene Swain – Director

Jolene entered the world of organics under the guidance and mentorship of Linda Edwards, completing a Masters project studying outbreaks and climate impacts on a Lepidoptera pest in organic apple orchards. With a background in biology, her field work has ranged from studying pikas and plants in the alpine tundra around Kluane Lake, to biodiversity surveys in the boreal forest, before being drawn to sustainable food production.

Training as an organic verification officer in 2014, Jolene has been fortunate to visit over a hundred organic farms across the province while tending to organic vegetables, seeds, grains and small scale livestock with her partner Jonathan Knight at WoodGrain Farm in the Kispiox Valley, Gitxsan territory. Her current focus and passion is for seed systems and local seed production across the region, in her role as Northern Seed Security Coordinator with FarmFolk CityFolk, and producer member of the BC Eco Seed Co-op.

Molly Thurston – Director

Molly is a Professional Agrologist and owner of Claremont Ranch Organics, a certified organic orchard in Lake Country, BC.  She is the owner-operator of Pearl Agricultural Consulting, Inc. where she provides agronomic support and on-farm extension services to growers in several different cropping systems. Molly also conducts research and innovation trials and has been coordinating the BC Decision Aid System, a multi-year project supported by the Cross-Commodity Leadership Project and the BC Ministry of Agriculture.

Molly is a board member of the International Tree Fruit Association, sits on the BC Cherry Association – Research and Extension Committee and is Chair of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association Crop Protection Committee. She is a past chair of the COABC Accreditation Board and has served as a Certification Committee member with the North Okanagan Organic Association. She has a BSc. in Agriculture Science from the University of Guelph and a Master of Science (Biology) with a focus on soil microbiology from the University of British Columbia.

Julaine Treur – Director

Julaine is an organic dairy farmer and cheesemaker at Creekside Dairy and Creekside Cheese + Creamery in Agassiz. Together with her husband and 5 children, she’s committed to stellar animal welfare, regenerative agriculture practices, and, especially, connecting consumers with their farmers.

These days you can usually find her managing the business side of things from her farm office, but she also really enjoys working with the family’s beautiful herd of Brown Swiss cows, maintaining the farm yard, or chatting with customers in the cheese shop or at various farmers markets.

 

Neil Turner – Director

Neil is a Professional Agrologist P.Ag., scientist, strategic planner and leader in project and programme delivery, with more than 30 years experience working in British Columbia and internationally. He is an executive contributor with extensive experience working within private businesses, governments, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations. Over his career Neil has worked at a senior level for all levels of government and also in the private sector as a consultant and senior scientist. He has travelled extensively to provide technical and scientific agricultural and environmental support, including work in Thailand, India, Russia, Brazil, and the UK.

Neil and his partner have for the last 14 years developed and managed Amara Farm, a certified organic market garden business in the Comox Valley, on Vancouver Island. During that time they have started two separate marketing co-ops. Neil also volunteers as a firefighter and BC FireSmart Representative and Agricultural Advisor to the Emergency Management organization for his local community.