Photo by Tom Walker
Jesse MacDonald
Jesse MacDonald gets pruning tips form his dad Rich at the family orchard in Summerland.
The new Knowledge and Technology Transfer specialist at AAFC Summerland Research Center has not one, but two family experiences to bring to the new position.
Jessie MacDonald grew up on the award-winning Summerland orchard operated by his parents Denise and Richard MacDonald. “I think my biggest strength in this position is that I am already a part of the fruit industry.” says MacDonald. “Our family farm produces mainly apples, but I have expanded into a bit of soft fruit as well. “
And MacDonald has the benefit of his dad’s 34 years of experience as a tree fruit breeding technician at the Summerland Research Center. There must have been some interesting dining table discussions. “I’ve had a lot of exposure to the industry,” MacDonald says. “My mom served on the executive of the BCFGA for years and my dad worked with Dr. David Lane, Dr. Cheryl Hampson and Dr. Frank Kappel in the cherry and apple breeding programs at Summerland Research.”
MacDonald holds a Bachelor Of Science from UBC and a Master of Pest Management from Simon Fraser University. He’s spent the last 10 years working in the Minor Use Pesticides Program in both Agassiz and Summerland. “I've become acquainted with almost any crop you can grow in BC and dealt with almost every pest out there," he says.
The Knowledge and Technology Transfer Specialist position is new at Summerland, but has been established at other centers for a number of years. AAFC has identified access and transfer of research and technology as a priority. “There is an incredible amount of research going on at Summerland,” says MacDonald. "My job is to find a way of making that research usable and relatable to industry, whether that is growers, processors, or consumers.”
“That transfer could come in many forms, from factsheets to demonstration fields and working directly with growers,” explains MacDonald. “Naturally, that also means it will also have a healthy dose of outreach, communication, and promoting collaborations.” He says that will include continuing partnerships with BC Tree Fruits field staff, and UBC and Okanagan College.
“I am in the planning stages of a number of applied field trials that I will be able to jump right in to this spring, based on completed research, and a number of researchers have pulled me on board with their projects already.”
MacDonald recently hosted the Okanagan chapter of the BC Agrologists Association. “They hadn’t been here before,” he says. “Most of my work this winter will be aligning myself and the position with the research programs at the centre. I will have to be familiar with their current and planned work going forward, if I am to be useful to both them and industry.”
“That is the key for me,” MacDonald adds. “I really want this position to be useful.”
