Hi everyone,

My name is Cassie and I’m the new Nursery and Landscape Specialist with OMAFRA.

As many of you know, after 23 years in the role, Jen Llewellyn has moved onto other opportunities outside of OMAFRA. While nobody could ever replace Jen, I sure will do my hardest to support you all as best I can!

My background is mainly in IPM and entomology. I completed both my BSc and MSc at the University of Guelph and have spent the last 6 years studying and working in edible horticulture. For my Masters, I studied improved detection and monitoring of pepper weevil, an introduced weevil pest of greenhouse and field peppers. From that I gained a lot of experience in both greenhouse and field production systems for vegetables. In 2020 I worked a contract position with OMAFRA as a vegetable specialist and then as the apple specialist for a short time. Most recently I worked for a new crop protection company as the technical specialist for Ontario where I supported outdoor fruit and vegetable growers and set up trials of new products across the province.

On a personal note, I enjoy the outdoors ( I mean, who doesn’t?), and frequent the trails around Guelph with my dog Carl. On a weeknight in the summer, you can catch me tending to my garden or playing ultimate frisbee or disc golf.

On this blog, I will continue communicating new research, emerging issues, pest updates, and funding opportunities for nursery crop growers. If there is ever a topic you would like to see covered, please reach out to me via email or phone! I’m always open to hear your ideas or suggestions and want to tailor this blog to what information you find useful.

I also want to say thank you so much to those of you who have already reached out to welcome me in my role and invited me to tour some nurseries. I really look forward to meeting everyone, learning, and collaborating on future projects.

Talk soon and stay tuned for my next post in early January!

– Cassie

Cell phone: (519) 835-5873
Email: cassie.russell@ontario.ca
Office: 1 Stone Road West, Guelph ON.