Name:

Sarah Jane Turner, P.Ag.

Education:

Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) majoring in Animal Sciences

Hometown:

Forties Road, New Ross, Nova Scotia

Plans for the winter:

For the first time since leaving New Ross in 1993 to begin my education and professional career I have moved back to the rural countryside with my partner Johnny Nielsen. We have a home on the grain farm where Johnny works. This winter I plan to enjoy settling into our home and taking advantage of the activities the country lifestyle allows for. Our Christmas this year, as it has been every year since coming to Alberta, will be made extra special with a Nova Scotia Christmas tree sent to us by my Dad.

Plans for the future:

At present I am very excited about the opportunities my future holds. Following 6.5 years of holding the position as Manager of Alberta Quality Pork, coordinating the on-farm food safety (CQA®) and on-farm animal welfare (ACA) programs, I resigned to join Alberta Agriculture and Food (AF) in October 2006. The Food Safety Division of AF whom I have worked for the past year is developing the Alberta Veterinary Surveillance Network (AVSN) of which I have been hired to coordinate.

AVSN is being developed by a very talented and forward thinking group of veterinarians (specializing in epidemiology, diagnostic pathology, toxicology, theriogenology and other specialty disciplines). These vets are from practice and industry backgrounds and want to assist the agricultural industries in building sustainable futures. AVSN is a ground breaking approach to the early detection of animal health events and the mechanisms for response and recovery of the industry in the event of an animal health incident.

I am very excited to be a part of this cutting edge initiative and what the future holds for my career as a part of it.

Favorite memory of NSAC:

Many of my favorite memories from NSAC originated from the old Swine Unit. During my time at NSAC I have a lot of fond memories, but the ones that I hold the dearest and the ones that I know shaped the person I am today took place while I was standing in a pig pen, smelling like pig, covered in pig and loving every minute of it.

Before coming to NSAC I was a country kid from New Ross whose family had a handful or two of beef cattle and a whole pile of logs and Christmas Trees. I didn’t know the area I wanted to focus in, nor did I know where I was going in life. The first few years at NSAC this didn’t change, I went to the career fairs seeking direction and inspiration, but it wasn’t until I took my Swine Production course that I found the inspiration and energy I was looking for in a career. My final project was soon based upon the swine industry looking at nutrition and the digestibility of animal by-products in feeder pigs.

It was the energy and excitement that I found in the Swine Unit that made me choose a career in the pork industry and now a career that assists with the survival and sustainability of industry. Rick Russell had an energy and respect for the industry that was bigger than life and you couldn’t help but bump into it when you walked through the front door of his barn. I have often thought that I wouldn’t be where I am without those experiences which occurred in the most unlikely place they could on the NSAC campus.

What I enjoyed most about NSAC:

The community of NSAC is what I enjoyed the most. Coming from a small rural community, the community at NSAC was a welcomed environment. That same community provided a positive environment for learning and growing.