Our Mission
To organize conferences and trade shows for the prairie organic industry and to facilitate activities that enhance and promote the organic sector through education and awareness.
Our Vision
A vibrant connected organic community from the producer to the consumer.
Board of Directors
Marla Carlson BA, MSc
President
Marla Carlson has worked in the organic sector in Saskatchewan since 2006 and has been an organic consumer since the mid-1990’s. She is a passionate advocate for healthier, more just and sustainable food systems across the Canadian Prairies. Marla has taken on many leadership roles in the agricultural sector including being SaskOrganics first Executive Director. She has been an on the Organic Connections board since 2011 and has been its President since 2013. Before moving back to Saskatchewan, Marla lived in England and worked for Bristol City Council as its first Democratic & Statutory Services Manager.
Marla is currently working with the Prairie Organic Development Fund managing the Scaling Up Organics: Education, Leadership and Benchmarking for Resilience Project and the Prairie Food System Vision Network a Rockefeller Foundation Food Systems Top Visionary Prize winner, a thirty-year project with a vision to decolonize the food system on the Canadian Prairies. She is also serving as a Director on the boards of The Vilicus Institute, IFOAM Organics North America and Responsible Organic Customer Association (RoCA).
Jennifer Bromm
Vice-President
As the daughter of an organic farmer I spent a big part of my childhood on a tractor or in a grain truck. After leaving home I completed a degree in Environmental Sciences and struggled to find work that was meaningful to me. In 2005 I secured a job with Brenda Frick at the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada doing organic research. It was during my time with Brenda that I first became a part of the Organic Connections board. I took a break from working in 2007 after having my first child. It wasn’t until 2012 that I rejoined the work force as a client services representative for Ecocert and now a mother of 2 children. Shortly after starting back to work I was asked to sit on the board for Organic Connections. I enjoy all the work I do for organics in Saskatchewan and I am very thankful for the organic childhood I was provided on our family farm. It really influenced me to become the person I am now.
Janet Galarneau
Secretary/Treasurer
Janet Galarneau is passionate about everything organic. Together with her husband, they manage an organic farm operation. She has worked in the agriculture industry for over 25 years. With an accounting background, she started off becoming involved in the agriculture industry working at an agriculture lender. As of now, Janet works at Prairie Heritage Seeds as the Organic Liaison Officer. Prairie Heritage Seeds is a Canadian family run business, promoting the benefits of organic food and agriculture for the last four decades. Prairie Heritage Seeds has a state of the art processing facility, offers logistics and quality assurance with their lab. Supplying grain for the domestic and international market place, Prairie Heritage Seeds main commodity is Kamut®. The company also supplies lentils, flax, peas, and feed grains. Janet sits on a few boards the Prairie Organic Development Fund for the Prairie’s and Organic Connections.
Lisa Mumm
Director
Lisa was raised on her family’s organic seed and sheep farm and is a fourth-generation farmer. She is passionate about everything organic, from seeds and soil to education and awareness. She owns and operates Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds. When Lisa isn’t growing seed in the field, selling seed from the office, or sprouting seed into sprouts and microgreens, she loves gardening, wild harvesting, and spending time with her horses. Lisa is an active member of the organic community. She sits on the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund Committee of SaskOrganics. Lisa also serves on the board of the Organic Connections conference and is a past member of the CFIA’s Seed Regulatory Modernization Working Group. She has served as the Vice President of the Canada Organic Trade Association. She has also been a member of the CFIA’s Plant Breeder’s Rights Advisory Committee and the Organic Value Chain Roundtable.
Staff
Carla Borsa PAg
Event Coordinator
Carla grew up on a mixed cow/calf and grain operation in northeast SK and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan. She has served on the Board of Directors with Canadian Western Agribition for 8 years chairing the Education, 4-H, Livestock and Scholarship areas. As a past 4-H member and leader she enjoys giving back to the program through judging and volunteering.
Carla operates Prairie Ag Business Management with more than 10 years experience working with non-profits and companies in the agriculture industry specializing in project, event and administrative management services. She resides near Waldheim, SK where together with her husband and 2 daughters run a small herd of cattle and flock of commercial sheep.
Advisors
Marion McBride
Advisor
Marion with her husband Ray, have farmed at Moosomin since 1991 where they own a third generation farm. Since being involved in agriculture and organics in particular, Marion has served in a variety of capacities on Boards, Committees and Task Forces in addition to various positions promoting and supporting the organic industry locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. Prior to that she retired in 2009 from working in Regina Public Schools as an Educational Assistant for 19 years.
She is currently an independent auditor for Agricultural Justice Project (AJP) and consultant for Regenerative Organic Certified farmers. Marion was the founding President of TransCanada Organic Certification Services (TCO) where she served for several years but has now retired from the Board.
McBrides have four grown children and four grandchildren. Past positions of note for Marion are Media Coordinator for the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate where she helped to create Dining with the Stars, a 13 part television series creating awareness of local and organic foods. She then worked with Farmer Direct Cooperative in various capacities. Marion was the Event Coordinator for Organic Connections from 2011- 2015 and has served as an advisor to the Board since that time.
Dunling Wang, PhD, PAg
Advisor
Dunling is the Provincial Specialist, Alternative Cropping Systems and works at the Crops and Irrigation Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture in Regina. His major responsibility is to provide advice and technical supports to alternative cropping systems, particularly, the growth of organic agriculture in Saskatchewan. His expertise includes soil fertility management, crop rotation, and organic crop production.
Dunling was raised in China. He obtained his BSc degree in soil science from Nanjing Agricultural University, and received his MSc and PhD from Department of Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan. Previously, Dunling worked as a research program manager at the Research Branch and managed the research work in areas of soil, environment, horticulture and alternative crops. Before that, Dunling was a research scientist at the National Research Council Canada, where he led a water research group to study water treatment and quality monitoring in municipal infrastructures, including drinking water distribution systems, storm water retention ponds and wastewater treatment facilities.