Board Members

Ginny Point has a long standing interest in agriculture and healthy food. It started years ago when working at the Ecology Action Centre, with the agriculture committee. She was fascinated by the interconnections between sustainable agriculture, healthy people and a healthy planet. That led to wanting to learn more about the specifics of nutrition, so she enrolled in the School of Nutrition at Acadia University. After graduation, for many years Ginny worked at a dietitian, until her retirement in January 2018. For numerous years she managed the Food Services Department of Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre, where she made purchasing local food a key priority.

She has been a member of Friends of Agriculture for many years, strongly supporting the Food Summits, and other special events such as the April Flavours. An avid gardener, she and her family grow almost all the produce for the family on their very large and somewhat eclectic garden, on their property at Lorax Woodlands on South Mountain.  She is delighted to have the opportunity to join the Board of FarmWorks in 2018.

Robert MacEachern grew up in the Antigonish area and currently lives with his wife and children in Halifax where he is the Indigenous and Diversity Program Manager, Global Health Office, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University. Previously he was the Non-Insured Health Benefits Navigator / Policy Support for the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs, and Culture Program / Department Coordinator for the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health.

Joe has served on the Executive or as a member of many Boards and was the Founder of the Evolve Music Festival. He is an experienced health care navigator and case manager, program coordinator, manager, researcher, grant writer and fundraiser.

Joe is a former FarmWorks Director (April 2013 – June 2015) and also a former FarmWorks supported business owner who paid off his loan in 2017.  He looks forward to the opportunity to rejoin the board because he is passionate about local food and has a special place in his heart for FarmWorks and the experience of helping local producers and restaurants succeed. He has a wealth of knowledge about local food production and distribution and would love to put this knowledge to work to help FarmWorks grow into the future.

B Commerce 1997 Saint Mary’s University. For the past 18 years working at Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op in Customer Service & Orders; President of the Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-operative Board during a time a transition. I am interested in being involved in an organization committed to promoting and financially supporting agriculture and a sustainable future for Nova Scotia.  A key to this is providing a local food supply for Nova Scotians.  Born and raised in Grafton, NS on a family farm, we raised beef cattle and grew apples.  I worked with my father and brothers on the farm until I left to attend university.  I have always wanted to get back into the agriculture sector locally and this opportunity allows me to use both my personal experience, my passion for farming and my work with Just Us! working with small farmers globally.

Chris has been the Executive Director of the Yarmouth Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC) since July 2005. For 6 years prior to this he worked for the South West Shore Development Authority as a Development Officer and was primarily responsible for coordinating the Community Access Program (CAP) and agriculture development initiatives for South Western Nova Scotia. Chris has been involved with a number of international development initiatives and has worked on projects in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Moldova, Thailand, Nigeria, the former Czechoslovakia and Swaziland.

Chris graduated from the Nova Scotia Agriculture College in 1990 with a BSc. (Agr) in Plant Protection and grew up in Pictou County on the family sheep and vegetable farm.

Chris is an active community volunteer and has served as President of the Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce, President of the Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists, Chair of the Nova Scotia Chambers of Commerce, Chair of the Yarmouth Development Corporation and Chair of the South West Nova Community Access Society. He has also served on the Board of the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Network and AACBDC Atlantic Canada Community Business Investment Fund Board.

Specialties: Innovative results-driven professional with extensive track record in economic and business development and project management in Eastern Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. Chris excels at building and motivating teams and is detail-oriented with strong project management and proposal development skills.

I was raised on a dairy farm in Colchester County, Nova Scotia. Growing up on the farm I was taught the lessons of hard work, community, and pulling together to get through hard times, and an understanding of the climate and how changes are affecting the environment.

I studied computer science at Dalhousie University. After graduation, I moved to Ottawa and worked for Nortel Networks. At Nortel I became an accomplished problem solver and team player. Unfortunately, while at Nortel, I also experienced the ugly side of business. In 2005 it was time for me to leave Nortel so I took a layoff package and returned to the family farm.

On returning to Nova Scotia I had the opportunity to work on several different family farms. From milking cows, pruning apple trees, raising beef cattle, growing corn, harvesting carrots, operating greenhouses and growing flowers, I have worked on many different types of farms. Working in agriculture presents many challenges and also demands long days and hard work.

In fall 2009, the day after seeing an iPhone for the first time, I bought a MacBook and began developing iPhone Apps. In the fall of 2010 I moved to Halifax and have been developing mobile phone and tablet applications for iPhones and Androids ever since. Working on mobile devices has been an exciting challenge for me. Smaller screen size and hardware have allowed my creativity and problem solving opportunities to flourish.

I have a passion for sustainable development and living in harmony with the world around us. As a problem solver I think there is no problem that cannot be solved and I enjoy solving problems that affect everyone.

Jenny Osburn found a passion for cooking very early in life. Learning at her mother’s side, she learned to appreciate the delicious flavours of fresh food prepared from scratch and came to head up the kitchen in one of Nova Scotia’s most beloved restaurants. For the past fifteen years, she’s been hard at work promoting Nova Scotia’s spectacular array of locally produced vegetables, meat, bread, cheeses and wine at the Union Street Café, a restaurant she founded with three women in her family.

In 2015 she produced a cookbook with Laura MacDonald of Deep Hollow Print. In The Union Street Café Cookbook, Jenny presents the most-requested recipes from the restaurant and shares secrets on where to find her favourite Annapolis Valley foods.

Moosewood Cookbook author Mollie Katzen writes “Jenny’s signature cuisine is such a refreshing, original take on cooking!”

Food Network star and Canada’s best-selling cookbook author Chef Michael Smith writes:

“In this book you’ll find more than just a legendary collection of recipes. You’ll enjoy real flavours earned through years of true hospitality. You’ll taste a generation of memories and feel the energy of a kitchen connected to time and place.”

David Oulton is a Hants County farmer who has been raising purebred beef cattle for many years.  Married to wife, Dianne, they have four children – three sons and daughter Liza, a trader on the stock market in Toronto. They consider themselves blessed that their three sons live in the Kings/Hants area and are active in the farming community, and they are part of the Buy Local Advantage through Oulton Fuels, Oulton Poultry Farm, Fox Hill Developments, Bloom Greenhouse & Garden Centre and Sweetgrass Beef. Dave attended the AC in Truro, and UBC in Vancouver but always knew he wanted to return to Nova Scotia to farm.  He has been especially drawn to the Charolais Breed, no doubt influenced by the lifelong interest of his parents Bob and Polly in the breed.

Dave and Dianne have owned and operated Cher-Vale Charolais Ltd., on the Falmouth Great Dyke since 1971. For 21 years they operated Maritime Tray Pack, delivering Case-ready lamb and veal twice weekly from Yarmouth to Sydney. Although the beef business is very demanding, they have managed to maintain their commitment for over fifty years. Dave has served in various capacities- as president of the NS Charolais Association, board member on the Canadian Charolais Association, as president of the Nova Scotia Cattle Producers and on the board of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association in Calgary for several years, working to keep beef cattle a viable farm enterprise in Nova Scotia.

Peter was first elected director of FarmWorks in April of 2014 having previously served as an advisor and supporter of the investment cooperative. He is a former research scientist and National Science Director with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, based at the Kentville Agricultural Centre (Kentville Research Centre). His research focused on greenhouse crops, and later addressed crop production and physiology challenges in small fruit. From 2005 until his retirement in 2012 he directed AAFC’s national effort in sustainable crop production systems, with special responsibility for programs in Winnipeg, Kentville, Charlottetown and St. John’s. Peter is active in the cooperative movement in the Annapolis Valley serving on the board of Valley Credit Union and currently chairing VCU’s Audit, and Social and Environmental Responsibility Committees. He volunteers with several community organizations including Friends of the Kentville Ravine, Black Rock Trails Society and Out of the Cold Emergency Shelter.