Directed by the Council. Executed by the Staff.

NFU-O Regional Council members are responsible for setting the strategic direction and making high-level decisions about the organization. The NFU-O staff are tasked with implementing and executing the day-to-day operations of the organization.

Max Hansgen and Orlando Martin Lopez Gomez visit an urban farm in Toronto.

Our Staff

Krista Long with basket of seeds in her backyard.

Krista Long

Executive Director

Krista is a passionate advocate for farmland protection, ecologically viable farming practices, and local, equitable food systems. She has over 20 years experience in the not-for-profit sector with a variety of organizations including the Canadian Organic Growers, the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable, and the Ontario Farmland Trust. She brings her experience in fundraising, policy, research, and program development to her role at the NFU-O.

Dave Thompson with cherry blossoms.

Dave Thompson

Farm Labour & Skills Development Project Manager

A modest backyard gardener and former slinger of banana bunches, David has a lifelong respect for the labour required to bring food to the table. David is an experienced community organizer and researcher with a PhD in Canadian history. He is passionate about building grassroots, people-centred social movements that are dedicated to sustainable local farming, cultural and social diversity, and economic equality and security. He believes growing food is a political act. David was the lead researcher and writer of the July 2021 NFU-O publication, Reframing the Farm Labour Crisis in Ontario.

Ashlee Redmond holding tray of strawberries on her back patio.

Ashlee Redmond

Communications & Membership Development Coordinator

Ashlee is an ambitious home cook and a devoted eater of good food. She became interested in the food movement while working for the food security organization Loving Spoonful (Kingston, ON) in 2016. She’s grateful for the opportunity the NFU-O provides to bridge her technical skills—event planning, strategic communications, volunteer management— and passion for food with her intention of pursuing a career that has positive environmental and social impact.

Briana Vanular holding basket of young onions.

Briana Vanular

Land Access & Young Farmer Support Coordinator

Briana is passionate about food security and localizing our food systems. She’s an experienced farm worker and has a personal relationship with land access challenges. Her academic endeavours include research on food systems, agri-environmental opportunities, workforce challenges, and more. She’s very grateful to operate a small market garden called Good Hand Farm in Sudbury, Ontario, which had its first season in 2023.

Our Regional Council

Max Hansgen in front of many potted plants.

Max Hansgen

NFU-O President & Region 3 Coordinator

Max works with his wife Shelagh in their market garden called Earth’s Mirth just outside of Lanark Village in eastern Ontario. Earth’s Mirth grows vegetables to sell at the Almonte Farmers’ Market and for a food box program. His first paying job was harvesting and processing garlic on a large organic farm in the area. For two years after high school he worked as a paid intern/apprentice on a bio-dynamic farm. There he found a lifetime interest in sustainable farm practices by helping tend to pigs, goats, diverse vegetable crops, and by working with horses. For the past 15 years Max has worked at Kiwi Gardens where he currently manages production of ornamental perennials, maintenance of display gardens and retail sales at the nursery. Max has been selling Kiwi Gardens’ plants through farmers markets for many years.

Ken Bassindale in a corn field.

Ken Bassindale

National Board Member

Ken and his wife Lisa farm 530 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay as well as cover crops in Haldimand County. He has a 25 cow/calf operation of Polled Herefords and he also runs an apiary under the name KBee’s. He plans to try his hand at raising chickens—for both meat and eggs—this summer. He is a member of the EFAO and is currently working toward regenerative practices on the farm as well as a holistic approach to management. He still manages to muster donning the pads for some recreational hockey and enjoys spending time with his 4 grandchildren.

Jennifer Osborn bottle-feeding a lamb.

Jennifer Osborn

National Board Member

Jennifer is the artist and farmer at All Sorts Acres Farm & Art Gallery along with her partner Tim Fisher. Starting in 2007 on just over an acre outside of Guelph with the goal of creating an integrated art-farm, the two persevered until finally purchasing the land they currently farm in 2016. The 50 acre farm, located an hour north of Guelph, is managed using regenerative, ecological, permaculture, and circular economy principles and practices that revolve around sheep. With a certified commercial kitchen, wool processing facility, and on-farm store and gallery, almost all the farm produces is processed on farm creating value-added sheep milk gelato, yogurt, cheese, kefir, milk, wool items, and pastured lamb. Bees, ducks, chickens, berries, and willow contribute to the farm identity and product base that includes charcoal, paint, building materials, honey, eggs, flavours for their gelato, and farm inspired artwork that includes original pieces and plantable greeting cards.

Brendan Grant with his young son, who is standing on a hay bale.

Brendan Grant

DIRECTOR-at-Large & Vice President

Brendan Grant and his wife Marcelle Paulin own Sleepy G Farm along the north shore of Lake Superior outside of Thunder Bay, where they produce certified organic vegetables and beef from a small heard of Shorthorn cattle. A strong advocate of regional food systems, Brendan has spent 15 years building a highly productive farm in a region with significant climate limitations and a modest agricultural history. Brendan built an on-farm vegetable storage facility that enables the farm to wholesale and direct market vegetables to local consumers, nearly year-round. Brendan asserts that farming is a professional occupation, and that the key to food sovereignty in the future is to get more farmers in the field now!

Orlando Martin Lopez Gomez in an apron.

Orlando Martín López Gómez

BIPOC Advisor

Orlando oversees FoodShare’s food growing projects across the city – turning under utilized schoolyards, hydro corridors, and parks into vibrant and productive urban farms and community gardens. Orlando is passionate about food justice, and community leadership, and provides lots of resources and support for communities to design, implement, and run their own growing and composting projects. He is a trained agronomist with an incredible depth of knowledge in all aspects of growing food.

Claire Poulton stands with her many turkeys.

Claire Poulton

Women's Advisor

Claire runs Little Fields Farm where, with the help of seasonal employees, she grows an acre of uncertified organic vegetables and cut flowers, as well as pasture-raised pork, chicken, turkey, and eggs. She sells almost everything the farm produces through a 100 member CSA program. As a first-generation farmer, Claire’s passion for environmental sustainability, love of the outdoors, and love of food drew her to small-scale ecological farming. After spending several seasons as an intern on farms in Ontario and BC, she established her own farm in 2015 that now rests on rented land in Oxford County. She holds a degree in Environment and Global Development Studies from Queen’s University.

Roger Rivest in front of a white wall.

Roger Rivest

DIRECTOR-at-Large & TREASURER

Roger grew up on a mixed farm in Staples ON. He graduated with a Food Technology degree from St. Clair College. He started transitioning one farm in 1987 & that farm was organic certified in 1990. He then transitioned and certified an additional 100 acres for the next 6 years, and started a CSA in 1991 through 1993. He started two successful businesses, Roger Rivest Marketing and Nature Lane Farms Organic Fertilizer, both of which closed when he retired in 2018. A year into retirement Roger got bored, and built a greenhouse and expanded his garden to 2 acres to supply health food stores and restaurants in Chatham and Wheatley. He raises pastured chickens—for both meat and eggs. Roger is also a long time member of COG and a Board member of EFAO.

Rav Singh holding some seedlings.

Rav Singh

youth advisor

Rav is a new and young farmer in Mississauga. She runs a food and climate justice organization called Shade of Miti and specializes in growing okra and bitter melon. Rav started as an urban farmer and environmental educator and focuses on climate resilient farming.

NFU Ontario Accredited Farm Organization Drawing Woman with Chickens - Flat Edge

Stay Connected

Subscribe to the NFU-O’s bi-weekly e-newsletter!

Newsletter Subscription Form
NFU Ontario Accredited Farm Organization Drawing Woman with Chickens - Flat Edge