Lactanet Canada is very pleased to announce the appointment of Melissa Hurst as the new DairyTrace Program Manager effective September 21, 2020. Currently residing in Regina, SK, she will commence these dairy industry responsibilities remotely and relocate to work from the Lactanet office in Guelph later this fall.
Melissa has the solid background and experience to bring a quality portfolio to the DairyTrace program just weeks ahead of the official launch on October 5, 2020. Having worked at the Government of Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture since 2014, Melissa has been the Provincial Livestock Traceability Specialist since January 2017. In this position, she represented Saskatchewan on federal and provincial committees and served as a livestock traceability expert providing technical services to producers, government staff and industry groups.
Born and raised in Ontario, Melissa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Guelph, majoring in Environmental Economics and Policy. Since her graduation, she has continued her professional development in various areas relevant to this DairyTrace leadership position and is currently a Professional Agrologist with the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists and a member of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). Melissa has been actively involved with 4‐H as a member for over 20 years and is a member of the Board of Directors of Saskatchewan Women in Agriculture.
“With the development of the DairyTrace program nearing completion and the long‐awaited implementation just around the corner, the timing is perfect for Melissa Hurst to join our team as the new DairyTrace Program Manager”, commented Brian Van Doormaal, Chief Services Officer at Lactanet Canada. He added, “Melissa’s experience, knowledge and passion for livestock traceability will prove to be significant benefits to DairyTrace as Canada’s dairy cattle traceability program”.
In June 2020, Lactanet Canada was recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as the national administrator responsible for traceability of dairy bovine animals under Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations. Lactanet is a farmer‐run organization serving more than 7,000 Canadian dairy producers from coast‐to‐coast. In addition to the DairyTrace program, Lactanet provides dairy herd management services including milk recording, genetic evaluations, software sales and support, health and disease lab diagnostics, knowledge transfer.
