Drew Orosz, P.Ag.(Ret.) President Drew Orosz, P.Ag. (Ret) has spent his entire career in the agriculture industry until retiring in 2023. He graduated from the University of Guelph with a B.Sc.(Agr) in Animal and Poultry Science, and an M.Sc. in Agribusiness. With a background in primary production and farm management, his experience has been focused in the areas of marketing, finance and business operations serving the agricultural industry across Canada. A registered member of the OIA (with a brief period in the NSIA) since 1986, he has served as a director and president on the boards both provincially and at the local branch level. Drew’s passion for lifelong learning has allowed him to mentor and support others through his professional career, with the OIA, and with the Canadian Agri-Food Marketing Alliance. He plans to continue his support for a sustainably productive agriculture sector for years to come.
Richard Heck, Ph.D., P.Ag. Past-President Richard Heck took his undergraduate and graduate degrees (in Soil Science) through the University of Saskatchewan. He has been a Professional Agrologist for more than 30 years, transferring from the SIA to OIA in 2001. He is a professor
in the Ontario Agricultural College, at the University of Guelph. He currently serves as a Division Chair in the International Union of Soil Sciences.
Gary Eagleson, P.Ag. Western Branch Director Gary Eagleson, P.Ag. is a former President of the Western branch. He lives outside of Parkhill and operates a consulting business. G. R. Eagleson Consulting Inc. is a consulting company specializing in the diverse business sectors of rural areas. These include biotechnology, organic agriculture, functional food and pharmaceutical ingredients production, renewable energy and rural economic development.
David S. Rose, P.Ag.
Huronia Branch Director For all of my working life, my wife Barb was a full-time dairy farmer and I was one of the team that helped to operate the farm. I was especially busy in the cropping season. We dispersed the herd in 2021 and continue to crop our 200 acre land-base, so during key times in the cropping season you will find me in a tractor seat. Most of my work with Kinder Foods wrapped up in 2022 when ownership put the plant up for sale. My formal working career now includes 2½ years in the meat packing industry, in addition to my time with CIBC and OMAFRA. My volunteer activities have included the boards of the Progressive Dairy Operators, the Ontario 4-H Foundation, The Biogas Association, and the Huronia Branch of the OIA. My wife and I are both actively involved in the leadership of our local United Church.
Wes Kennedy, P.Ag. Ottawa Valley-St. Lawrence Branch Director Wes works for the federal government in policy and regulatory development. Wes has a BScH in Geology, and has been a P.Ag. since 1999. Wes represents the Ottawa Valley-St. Lawrence Branch.
Mila Poirier, P.Ag. Niagara- Hamilton Branch
Mila has a MSc degree in Environmental Science, Soil Science from The University of Guelph. After graduating, she worked as a Research Associate for a couple of years at Guelph University. She then took on a role for a few years as a Technical Writer for agriculture giant BASF. Breaking down technical terms into easily digestible marketing material was her daily task. Mila most recently worked for a handful of years as an Agronomist for AIM Environmental Group where she was the specialist for compost and biosolids policy and sales. She also got her NASM Planner Certification and helped Ontario farmers determine which soil applications were most beneficial to their land while following laws and regulations for nutrient management. Currently, Mila is working as an Insights and Solutions Manager at Shopper Intelligence Canada where she is providing companies in the food industry with data to better market their products in the storefront.
Lance Schultz, P.Ag. Guelph Branch
Lance is a OAC '10 Plant Science & Biotechnology and OAC '15 Food Safety & Quality Assurance graduate. Lances works at Delmar Foods Inc., as a Quality Assurance Manager. Lance also owns Schultz Agri-Food Consulting. In his free time, Lance plays an active role in the OAC Alumni Association Board of Directors Executive Committee.
John Cranfield, Ph.D. University of Guelph OIA Director John Cranfield is the Dean in the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph, and a Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics. John’s training includes undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Guelph, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. His research focuses on the economics of consumer behaviour and demand analysis at the individual, household and market level (largely in relation to demand for food and food products). A noted expert on the economics of agri-food markets and policy, John has published widely, and was a Fellow of Cohort 13 of the Food Systems Leadership Institute.
Claire Coombs, MSc. A.Ag. Algonquin College OIA Director Claire is an instructor at Algonquin College in the Business-Agriculture Diploma Program. Claire has been with Algonquin College since 2019, helping to develop courses in crop production, soil science, and pest management for the program. Currently Claire teaches three courses at the college. Claire is also a Grower Pesticide Safety Course (GPSC) instructor. Claire has a diverse experience in the public and private sectors working on projects focusing on stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, education, and sustainability within the agri-food sector. Claire received her MSc. is Environmental Sciences from the University of Guelph - Ridgetown Campus in 2015. She currently lives in Renfrew with her family.
OIA Staff
Ryan Koeslag, P.Ag Executive Director & Registrar Ryan grew up on a dairy farm near Harriston (Town of Minto), attended University of Guelph and Olds College in Alberta studying Agriculture Business. After working nearly a decade with various government grant distribution programs he started Koeslag Consulting Inc. (KCI) in 2015. KCI specializes in managing non-profit organizations and also currently manages the Canadian Mushroom Growers' Association/Mushrooms Canada, the Ontario Bean Growers, the Ontario Canola Growers Association and the Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council.
Katie Weed Project Coordinator Katie Weed grew up on a small mixed farm that primarily had dairy, beef and pork. She attended McMaster University for her undergraduate and graduate studies. Katie joined OIA in 2020 and is the main Coordinator for all
OIA events and membership activities.
