Meet Dini — Our New Extension & Communications Coordinator
Hi everyone!
I’m Dini, and I’m really excited to be joining Farming Forward as the new Extension & Communications Coordinator.
My partner and I recently moved to Lac Ste. Anne County, where we’re in the process of starting our own sheep farm. We’re raising Katahdins and commercial hair sheep for lamb meat, chosen for their resilience and ease of management. Since wool doesn’t hold much value in Canada, these sheep shed their coats in the spring, which saves us from the time and cost of shearing. It’s been a steep learning curve starting from scratch, especially in a new environment with (dark) grey wooded soil that behaves very differently than what we were used to. But we’ve had some great neighbours, and I’m hoping that through this new role, I can keep learning and improving our own practices too.
“It’s a big change, but we’re figuring it out day by day, and every bit of local knowledge helps.”
Before this, I worked remotely for an Irish livestock management company, helping with product research and development. I’ve always had a foot in both agriculture and technology. I studied Agrotechnology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands (where I grew up on a mixed dairy and crop farm), and after graduating I spent a few years working and traveling around the world, but always in agriculture in some way or another.
One of my early jobs was with a startup in Australia developing autonomous field robots, where I worked as a software test engineer. I got to take the robot out into the field and, essentially, try to break it. It’s not every day you're allowed to do this!”
I also spent time herding goats in Saskatchewan, worked with sled dogs in Finland, Norway, and the Yukon, tested milking robots in the Netherlands, and spent a month helping on a coastal sheep farm in Norway, where we moved the sheep between tiny islands by boat. All very different from farming in Alberta, but all experiences that shaped the way I see agriculture, people, and place.
When we moved to this area, Farming Forward was one of the first organizations to welcome us. They helped us find good contacts and gave us a sense of belonging early on, which made a big difference. That’s part of why I’m so excited to join the team now and help give back.
In this role, I’ll be leading the organization of events, and soon I’ll be taking over the newsletter too. I’m especially looking forward to the events we have lined up for August and September. We’re working on some great speakers and workshops that I think will be really valuable.
With my background in farm technology, I hope to bring in some fresh ideas around tools and innovation. I’ve been following virtual fencing for years, and I’m excited to see that it’s starting to arrive in Canada. I’d love to see Farming Forward get a set of collars to trial, and I’d be happy to test them myself!
Thanks for the warm welcome so far. I look forward to meeting many more of you at upcoming events!
“If you ever have ideas, suggestions, or just want to chat, I’d really love to hear from you.”
