Celebrating World Soil Day 2025
Event Speaker Highlights
December 5, 2025
Thank you for joining the University of Guelph and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness (OMAFA) and many more for a day of celebrating soil health.
Explore further information about the event speakers below.
Morning Speakers
Dr. Rebecca Hallett
Interim Associate Vice-President (Research, Agri-Food Partnership), University of Guelph
Dr. Hallett is a professor in our School of Environmental Sciences. Her research focuses on the management of pest species in agricultural systems.
Dr. Hallett was named the interim associate vice-president (research, agri-food partnership) in December 2024.
Dr. John Kelly
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness
John Kelly became Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in August 2020.
John brings more than 25 years of leadership in the agricultural, food and life sciences industries, spanning private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining OMAFRA, John was Chief Innovation Officer at Bioenterprise Corporation, where he was responsible for leading the acceleration of agri-tech business ventures. John has also held senior-level roles in organizations such as DNAstack Inc., Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association and MaRS Landing.
John holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Guelph and a Master of Science from the University of Alberta.
Nevin McDougall
Chair, Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario
Nevin McDougall is an accomplished business executive, entrepreneur, and private investor with over 30 years experience with industry leading agribusiness organizations. He has led business operations in North American and International markets as a senior executive for multi-national companies including BASF and Sollio Cooperative Group. Nevin has extensive capability and experience in commercial operations, R&D, and executive management through many roles held with those organizations. He has also been involved as an executive, investor and coach to several small and medium sized companies in the Canadian agri-food sector including Chief Commercial Officer for A&L Canada Laboratories Inc., and as Managing Partner for RHA Ventures Inc. Nevin brings governance expertise from board positions with industry associations, non-profits and corporate entities including; CropLife America, Bioenterprise, K+S Aktiengesellshaft (XETRA:SDF.DE), and several privately held corporations.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Lisa Ashton
Lisa’s passion for Canada’s agriculture sector—and its role as a global leader in production, innovation, and sustainability—was shaped by her upbringing on her family’s farm in Southwestern Ontario. This early interest led her to pursue post-graduate degrees in Ireland, Germany, and most recently at the University of Guelph, where she completed a PhD focused on the governance of scaling natural climate solutions in Canadian agriculture.
Currently, Lisa is the Director of Agriculture Policy at RBC Thought Leadership, where she leads agriculture and food research and stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining RBC, she was the Sustainability Lead at Grain Farmers of Ontario and worked as a consultant, helping not-for-profit organizations and companies develop and implement regenerative agriculture strategies.
Discussion Panel: Soil Health-An Alliance Impact Case Study
Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle
Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle is a professor and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Climate-Smart Soils in the School of Environmental Sciences.
Wagner-Riddle is an expert in the application of micrometeorological flux techniques to measure agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Wagner-Riddle leads an internationally-renowned research program utilizing the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions to determine the carbon footprint of food, feed, and fuel produced by agriculture. Wagner-Riddle has received numerous awards, including Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and of the American Meteorological Society, and the 2020 IFA Borlaug Award of Excellence in Crop Nutrition.
Wagner-Riddle leads CanN₂ONet, a national network dedicated to reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, and is the Canada lead of NICCEE, the Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment, which involves multi-stakeholders from the agricultural sector, including industry, government and farmer organizations.
Dr. Laura Van Eerd
Dr. Laura Van Eerd is a Professor of Sustainable Soil Management at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. The goal of her internationally-recognized research program is to advance our understanding of biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and carbon in various agroecosystems. Van Eerd’s interests primarily focus on (i) elucidating the role of cover crops and other management on soil health attributes and its link to primary productivity/resiliency and (ii) enhancing nitrogen use efficiency while mitigating edge-of-field losses. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers, including 2018 Best Paper of the Year in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science. In addition to awards acknowledging her significant contributions to teaching, research and extension, Laura was recognized as one of six Influential Women of Canadian Agriculture in 2020.
Dr. John Lauzon
Dr. John Lauzon is an associate professor in the School of Environmental Sciences. His research focuses on nutrient cycling and management within the agroecosystem. His specific current interests include: the evaluation of manure management strategies to decrease losses of nutrients and bacteria to the environment and improve the agronomic availability of the nutrients, and investigating spatial variability of soil nutrients and plant response.
Dr. Richard Heck
Dr. Richard Heck is a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences. His research focuses on the quantification and interpretation of soil morphology. At the pedon/polypedon scale, he is employing electromagnetic induction techniques (electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility), and associated inversion modelling to characterize soil hydromorphism, as an indicator of soil drainage conditions. At the sub-pedon scale, he is employing high-resolution optical digital imaging of soil thin sections, as well as x-ray computed tomography (CT) of intact soil cores, combined with pixel- and context-based image processing, to quantify the spatial configuration of soil components. His micromorphology research draws upon the Canadian Soil Thin Section Collection, curated in our laboratory. He has on-going collaborations with researchers in Canada, the United States, South America and Europe.
Dr. Adam Gillespie
Dr. Adam Gillespie is an assistant professor in the School of Environmental Sciences. His research focuses on soil organic matter and soil health. Soil organic matter is widely recognized as an integral part of sustainable agriculture, soil health and ecosystem resilience. It is critical for soil function, providing a source of nutrients, substrates and energy for the microbial population. His research program is one which examines land use and ecosystem influences on soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and their relationship with soil fertility and carbon cycling in both the lab and field settings. He believes very strongly in the need to translate innovative research into practice.
Heather White
Heather is a Knowledge Mobilizer with Soils At Guelph, an initiative of the University of Guelph that advances and mobilizes science-backed knowledge that supports sustainable soil management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Master of Science in Capacity Development and Extension. Throughout her career, Heather has worked in Ridgetown, Guelph, El Salvador, Toronto, and Sudbury, supporting agricultural research, community development and outreach, but her journey began in the flat fields of Chatham-Kent, where she held her first jobs under the hot summer sun. Today, Heather lives in Guelph, Ontario, with her family and various pets.
Student Research Showcase
Oral Presentations
Banabas Naku, Winter cereal rye cover crop with 4R nitrogen fertilizer management
on corn grain yield and in-season soil mineral nitrogen
Manika Maharjan, Quantifying the role of cover crop above- and below-ground biomass in building soil organic carbon in Ontario
Maurizio Comandone, Can Variable Rate Technology minimize environmental nitrogen losses and optimize crop production?
Megan Schuetz, Digging into soil biodiversity: Can bacteriophages provide insights into soil health?
Navdeep Saini, Effect of acidification on methanogenic populations and methane emissions in stored liquid swine manure
Ruitian Chen, Improving Soil Carbon Sequestration in Canada Using Physical Fractionation Linked with RothC Model Refinement
Poster Presentations
Ashley Hornby, Application of MIR spectroscopy to predict key soil properties: Toward establishing the Soil Spectral Library of Ontario (SSLO)
Devon Beckman, Increasing Soil Organic Matter using Long Term Switchgrass Cropping Systems
Emma Wegener, Understanding the cumulative effects of climate change and anthropogenic disturbance on northern peatland carbon stocks
Maria Paula Iglesias, What do the first eight seasons of the LTCC trial at Elora have to say?
Martha Osei-Yeboah, Characterizing soil biodiversity in eight CANN2ONET field sites
Rima Salih, Carbon Sequestration in Riparain Buffer Systems as a Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation
Sarah Hu, F2F4 (Heavy Petroleum Hydrocarbons) in Foundation of Agriculture: Contamination, Pathways and Persistence in Soils
Xiao-long Wu, A New Method for Frozen Soil Thermal Property Measurement
Judges
Kent Willmore
Kent is a highly experienced leader in the agriculture industry with over 30 years of expertise. As the Founder and CEO of Crescero (formerly AGinvest Farmland Properties Canada Inc.), he has established a successful farmland asset management firm in Chatham, Ontario.
In 2018, Kent launched the AGinvest Farmland One Fund, offering investors exclusive access to Ontario’s fertile and productive farmland. Building on this success, he has since led Crescero in establishing three additional funds, all of which have delivered outstanding results for both investors and farm families. Crescero is dedicated to fostering mutually beneficial opportunities that support food security, promote sustainable farming practices, and drive long-term value creation.
As Crescero’s leader, Kent oversees all aspects of operations and spearheads the investment process with a unique approach that sets the organization apart. His innovative methods emphasize close collaboration with farm families during acquisitions and optimization efforts, forming the foundation of Crescero’s strategic vision.
Nicole Rabe
After working for Agri-Food Labs for many years on the development of precision agriculture services in Ontario, Nicole then went west to the University of Lethbridge to get her M.Sc. Geography in advanced applications of remote sensing and GIS in agriculture. Nicole then secured a teaching position in Manitoba at Assiniboine College where she taught in the Agriculture & Environment division. She was an applied researcher and board member at the Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Association.
In 2011, Nicole joined OMAFRA to do soil map renewal as a Land Resource Specialist in the Environmental Management Branch. She was part of the OMAFA soil team and used her teaching experience with Ontario farmers while supporting the ministry in the development of the Ontario Soil Health & Conservation strategy. In 2021, she then joined the Research & Innovation Branch as a Senior Researcher Advisor to support the design and delivery of Alliance and OAFRI research & innovation programming.
Stephanie Vickers
Stephanie is the Soil Management Specialist for Horticulture Crops with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. Based in Vineland, ON, she works with growers, researchers, and industry partners to assess new practices and technologies that improve soil health and sustainable production in Ontario’s horticulture sectors. Her current projects include assessing the use of under-vine cover crops in commercial vineyards and cover cropping/intercropping options in garlic production.
Robert Matson
Robert grew up on his family dairy farm in Caledon, ON, and served in numerous roles in the agricultural industry before joining DFO, including as a Ruminant Nutritionist. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa before completing a Master of Science in Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph. As a professional agrologist, he now uses his experience in the dairy industry to identify, attract, and engage researchers in Dairy Farm Efficiency, Sustainability, Animal Health and Welfare, and Milk Composition, Quality, and Safety. Robert is also a DFO-appointed representative on the DFC Sustainability Committee and the Canadian Dairy Research Council.
Jason Henry
Jason attended Trent University, graduating with a Bachelor of Environmental Science, followed by a Master’s degree in Environmental and Life Science. His research during his Master’s focused on the impacts of pollution on Irish grassland herbaceous species, studying relationships between soil characteristics and grassland biodiversity.
Currently, Jason is working at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre as a Researcher, where he specializes in green infrastructure use in the urban environment as well as soil health and its influence on horticultural crops. In his spare time, Jason enjoys gardening with his wife and taking his son Blake and puppy Nox out for walks.
Discussion Panel: Building Healthy Soils in Ontario
Hosted by the Greenbelt Foundation.
Dr. Jenny Bower
Research Soil Scientist, Soil Health Institute
Dr. Bower collaborates with farmers and agricultural stakeholders to establish soil health targets across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, helping predict and improve soil health under various management practices.
Gordon Albas
3rd Generation Dairy and Cash Crop Farmer, Hamilton, Ontario
Recognized as a soil health champion, Gordon has long been implementing soil health practices and contributing to regional farming initiatives.
Jake Munroe
Soil Management Specialist for Field Crops, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA)
As a Certified Crop Advisor, Jake brings expertise in soil fertility, cover crops, and beneficial management practices, helping Ontario farmers improve soil health and productivity.
Ryan Carlow
Program Lead, Greenbelt Foundation
As part of the Greenbelt Foundation’s Soil Health Program, Ryan conducted soil sampling across farms in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, providing free soil health reports and gaining valuable insights into successful BMP adoption across the region.
Fireside Chat
The Honourable Rob Black, Senator
The Honourable Rob Black, P. Ag. (Hon.) has worked in the rural, agricultural, and leadership arenas for much of his working career with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), 4-H Ontario, the Ontario Soybean Growers, The Centre for Rural Leadership and the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI).
He has had close involvement with 4-H Canada and 4-H Ontario, and other leadership programs, such as Junior Farmers and the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP). He credits his involvement in these programs with allowing him to develop the skills that would lead him to become a senator.
In February 2018, Rob received a call from the Prime Minister, summoning him to the Senate to represent the province of Ontario. The Prime Minister told Rob that he wanted him to bring his background in agriculture, rural community development, and leadership development to the Senate.
Since February 27, 2018, Rob has been working on several issues of importance to Canadians through his role. Currently, Rob is Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Rob served as the Chair of the Canadian Senators Group (CSG) from its inception in 2019 until October 2023.
