Who we are

Sterling Hilton, Chair – AB

Sterling returned to his family farm near Strathmore, Alberta after receiving an Agriculture Diploma from the Lethbridge Community College, followed by a Business/Accounting Diploma from Mount Royal College in Calgary.

Sterling and his brother, Spencer have recently brought Dane (Spencer’s oldest) in to the 10,000 acre grain farm operation which in 2010 celebrated its homestead centennial. Sterling and Spencer’s wives round out the 5 person management team which, along with personal roles and responsibilities, requires consensus on all major farm decisions.

Sterling manages financial responsibilities, machinery purchases, as well as marketing duties for Hilton Ventures Ltd.

“It’s great to see so much excitement around agriculture right now. Young people are being enticed back, and need continued learning opportunities to enhance their management as well as leadership skills to move their farms into the future. I want to help Farm Management Canada provide this for our future leaders at the farm gate.”

Sterling served as a delegate for the Farm Leadership Council from 2008-2010 and then as a director from 2010-2012. He also served as President of the local community hall board from 2007-2012.

During the winter months, Sterling enjoys helping coach his daughters in hockey and ringette. Sterling and his wife, Lianna have three beautiful girls aged 14, 12 and 9.

Joerg Zimmermann, Vice-Chair – MB

Joerg was raised on a cash crop farm near Stuttgart, Germany. After internships on grain farms in France and Canada, he graduated from the University of Hohenheim, Germany majoring in Agricultural Economics. He completed his PhD in the area of management techniques for large farm enterprises at the same German university.

During his extensive research of management strategies and control systems employed by large scale agricultural enterprises in Eastern Europe and the CIS – mainly in Russia – he got to see a wide range of farm operations in this part of the world. Besides the work on his PhD thesis Joerg consulted large scale farms in Eastern Europe and the CIS in the area of Business Management for more than 7 years. Starting in 2002, he built up and co-owned a 2,000 ha (5,000 ac) farm in Samara, Russia, where valuable lessons about practical farm management were acquired.

Between 2005 and 2008 Joerg developed a seed sales network in Northern Kazakhstan and managed an affiliated 2,000 ha (~5,000 ac) demo farm in this area. Shortly after that, Joerg joined an US-based investment fund with large farm operations in Eastern Europe and the CIS, where he planned, analyzed and benchmarked the farms owned and operated by the fund.

His pioneering days in the agricultural sector of Eastern Europe and the CIS were concluded, when he and his family settled in Winnipeg, MB in 2009. After a position in International Sales with Ag Growth International Inc., he most recently was managing the International Sales Support Organization for the same company. He introduced new processes and built up a team responsible for the design and price estimation of grain handling and storage systems as well as order fulfillment and international logistics.

Joerg keeps close ties to German agriculture as he is involved in a 4,000 ha (10,000 ac) farming partnership in Eastern Germany operating several independent farms including his own.

Going back to his passion Farm Management, Joerg started his own Farm Management Advisory business GlobalAgAdvisors Ltd. in March 2013, where he works with his farm clients in Western Canada on strategic planning, goal setting, cash flow management, financial analysis, income projecting and more. Furthermore Joerg facilitates a peer group with farmers from North Dakota and Manitoba and holds a number of board positions with progressive farms. In his low season in August and September, he you can see Joerg operating a combine on his neighbor’s 6,000 ac farm.

Joerg is following the activities of Farm Management Canada since 2010 and is an active member since 2013. He believes, that Farm Management Canada contributes enormously to the excellence of the Canadian Farming Sector. He is thrilled to join Farm Management Canada’s Board of Directors while adding his unique skills and experience from Academia, Business Development, Farm Management and International Agriculture to position Farm Management Canada well to play a leading role in Canada’s Agricultural Sector now and in future.

Patrice Carle, Secrétaire/Trésorier – QC

With a bachelor’s degree in agro economics (1987) from Université Laval, Patrice began his professional life with the Syndicat de gestion agricole Lévis-Bellechasse. This position allowed Patrice to acquaint himself with farm work and to learn a great deal about farm management. In 2000, he became the Executive Director of a dairy cooperative, where he learned a great deal about marketing farm products. Patrice also worked in the private sector as the supply manager for an animal food company. His main role was to monitor all of the hedging operations. He spent six years working in this sector.

Patrice has been working for the Centre d’expertise en gestion agricole (CEGA) since September 2009. The CEGA, whose board is made up of 13 directors representing “agricultural Quebec,” is devoted to farm management. It is a second line centre that handles training, local and global business intelligence, as well as joint research and analysis. The CEGA also actively promotes farm management.

Patrice has a real passion for farm management; He sits on the management committee of the Centre de référence en agriculture et agroalimentaire du Québec (CRAAQ).

Patrice believes that farming is a business like every other sector of the economy. And the numbers show that it is always the real managers who succeed, even in times of crisis.

Norm Hall, Director – SK

Norm Hall was born and raised on a farm near Wynyard, which he now owns with his brother. Together, on their century farm, they plant 4600 acres in annual seed and commercial crops, 40 acres in an agroforestry project, 400 acres in hay and pasture, and 1600 acres are set aside for the environment.

Norm is married to Fern and they have three children, Kevin, Jamie and Travis.

An active member of his community, Norm has served on the Board of Directors of the Wynyard Co-op Assoc. (1985-87), Wynyard Credit Union (1994-96), the Wynyard Co-op Farm Centre Ltd. (1994-present), served as Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Delegate (1986-2005), Wynyard Chamber of Commerce (1993-2009), Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum (1998-2002), Saskatchewan Young Farmers’ Forum co-founder and President (1999-2003), District 20 ADD Board (2001-present), assistant coach Wynyard Minor Hockey Assoc (1986-97) and Head Coach Wynyard Gymnastics Club (1980-2012).

Norm was first elected as a Representative of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) in October 2003 and currently represents the RM of Emerald #277.  At the 2004 AGM, Norm was elected to the APAS Environment Committee and was nominated chair of that committee from 2006 to 2011.  In December 2005, he was elected to the Board of Directors and elected President in December 2011.

Anne Marie Diotte, Director – ON

Anne Marie Diotte is the Program Coordinator in the Business Management Unit at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Although Anne Marie works on developing programs, tools, resources and information for producers across the various areas of business management, her work focusses mostly on the development, implementation and administration of Growing Forward 2 programs in Ontario; specifically Market Development, Labour Productivity, Business and Leadership Development. Anne Marie also administers various agreements for the Ministry.

Danielle Lee, Director – AB

Danielle currently farms with her mother and other family members on their 104 year old family farm just west of Calgary, in Springbank. The family raises a small herd of commercial beef cattle using Angus genetics which they calve out in springtime. They also have a small flock of North Country Cheviot sheep, which they raise to market weight and sell directly to consumers.

On their farm they also put up hay for their own livestock as well as to sell into the local equine market.

Danielle is currently on the Board of the Canadian Young Farmers Forum (CYFF) serving as the representative for Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory. She is also strongly involved in agriculture education programs such as the Calgary Stampede’s Aggie Days, as well as being a volunteer for many years with other agriculture programs at the Calgary Stampede.

Larry Martin, Director – ON

Larry Martin is currently a principal in Agri-Food Management Excellence, Inc a management training company and Dr. Larry Martin and Associates, a consulting operation. He teaches and coaches managers of farms, agribusiness and food companies from both Canada and the United States. Larry is the principal instructor and teaches: CTEAM, CFAME, AME Alumni, Price Risk Management Courses and Custom Courses.He also writes and consults on agri-food policy, commodity markets and strategy. He has worked with a wide array of companies and organizations in developing their strategic and operational, and/or risk management plans. He writes a monthly column on commodity markets for Food in Canada magazine.

His work has garnered him the awards of Fellow of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society, the Wilson Loree Award for Excellence in Farm Business Management, and the Ontario Agricultural College Alumni Award for Excellence in Research. He was awarded a Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for his contributions to Canada.

Larry holds Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees in agricultural economics. He was Professor and Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Business at the University of Guelph. He was the founding Executive Director and subsequently CEO of the George Morris Centre, an independent think tank on agricultural issues and policies located in Guelph. He chaired a national task force on competitiveness in the agri-food sector for the federal Minister of Agriculture. He is responsible for the highly acclaimed management and industry training programs that were run by the George Morris Centre and now by Agri-Food Management Excellence. He has a substantial body of refereed and non-refereed research on economic issues in the agri-food sector.

Larry is or has been a director of Ridley Canada, Lake Erie Farms, Taps Breweries Incorporated, Big Sky Farms, Coldspring Farms and a member of advisory boards for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Agriculture and Biotechnology Division of the Saskatchewan Research Council and of Burnbrae Farms. He is also a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Jeannette Mongeon, Director – ON

Jeannette worked for CIBC for 25 years in areas of Toronto and Ottawa. In the last 7 years at CIBC, she was Branch Manager at CIBC in Embrun, Ontario. Jeannette believes that with her long tenure in banking and with the diversified positions that she held has equipped her with the tools and knowledge needed to serve FMC’s Board of Directors.

Jeannette farms with her husband Michel Dignard and their 5 children. Their farm consists of a 1200 acre cash crop, rabbit production, dairy farm, berry farm and apiary.

It is FMC’s responsibility to be the Canadian leader in farm management, and this is where Jeannette hopes to bring her experience in farm management.

Merv Wiseman, Director – NL

Merv Wiseman was born and raised on Long Island, Notre Dame Bay, NL working summers with his family in the long liner fishery. He entered Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Faculty of Political Science, and subsequently pursued studies at MUN’s Nautical Science division of the Marine Institute, where he completed a ships officers’ certificate. Upon graduation, Merv began work with the Coast Guard as a Marine Traffic Regulator (MTR) in Argentia. After working as an MTR for 15 years in Atlantic Canada, he transferred to the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre in St. John’s in 1992, where he worked as a Rescue Coordinator until he retired in May of 2012.

Merv started his business in fur farming in 1984 after moving to North Harbour, Placentia Bay with his wife Eileen, who accepted a teaching position there in the late 1970s. Today he owns and operates the largest silver fox farm in the world.

Merv served as President of the NL Federation of Agriculture, the NL Livestock Council and the Canadian Fox Breeders Association. During his 16 years as president of the NL Fur Breeders Association, Merv initiated and assisted the Economic Recovery Commission in developing a 5 year fur strategy for the industry. On a national level, Merv spent a number of years representing farmers on the National Policy Advisory Committee (NPAC), and was a founding member and chairperson of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC). At the same time he headed a major initiative to establish an international marketing label for silver fox. Throughout the 1990s he continued to work at marketing and promotion of all Canadian produced fur as a director on the Canadian Majestic Marketing Inc. board, based in Toronto and New York.

Merv’s employment, educational, leadership and board experience have given him a great appreciation of the issues and challenges, as well as rural complexities, unique to all parts of Canada, providing a platform for him to advocate and facilitate on behalf of workers, communities and industries in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the whole of Canada.