Introducing OMAFA’s New Floriculture Production Specialist (Permanent)

Kathryn Russell, the new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist at OMAFA.

I’m thrilled to announce that Kathryn Russell will be joining me as my partner in crime as OMAFA’s new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist. She will be handling all things related to ornamental production, including nutrients, lighting, substrates, and the greater greenhouse environment. She will also be contributing to policy and programming behind the scenes. (We hope to start a quarterly newsletter soon, to help growers in Ontario understand exactly what it is we do for you, whether we are in your greenhouse or not!)

Kathryn has a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and a Diploma in Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation. Kathryn joins us after several years working in two large-scale floriculture greenhouses in the Niagara region. At these facilities, she conducted research on new plant materials and ensured optimal health on a wide array of ornamentals while applying different growing techniques. Specifically, she was a propagation grower for 3 years and then a lead section grower in tropical plant production for 2 years. Kathryn has also worked in various roles with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC), including nutrient and crop modelling co-ops. 

When I forced Kathryn to tell me her favorite plant, she couldn’t pick just one! She’s a lover of monstera, spring bulbs (especially grape hyacinths), along with million bells and other spring baskets. Besides plants, she is also a huge cat lover! Prepare for her to be momentarily distracted if you have a greenhouse cat, especially one as cute as Baxter, below.

Kathryn taking a break from growing and cuddling this important part of any greenhouse’s IPM program.

Although the point of this post is to introduce Kathryn, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank everyone who has kept this position thriving over the past decade.

My utmost thanks go to Dr. Chevonne Dayboll, who was in this role for 8 years, and taught me so much. She recently moved to a different branch of OMAFA, and now has a permanent position as a Research Analyst, helping set research and funding programs that help growers throughout Ontario.

I also want to thank Abigail Wiesner who acted in the Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist role for the last 17 months while Dr. Dayboll was on secondment.  Sophie Krolikowski, now with AAFC, also covered for Dr. Dayboll in 2023.