What is your role in the Regional Economic Development Branch?
I am the Agriculture Development Advisor for Sudbury East, Nipissing and Parry Sound Districts.
What initiatives or projects are you currently working on?
Providing support to the Municipality of West Nipissing as they prepare to host the 2019 International Plowing Match (IPM). The IPM will be held in Northern Ontario for the second time since its inception in 1913. Communities that host the IPM, benefit from its economic impacts before, during and after the event.
What do you like most about the work you do?
Working in the agriculture sector from farm to fork, bringing together primary producers with processors and end users/consumers. I like helping to link our clients with others’ clients, create new networks that bring various enterprises and/ or communities closer together. I provide a third person’s perspective to client projects (funding opportunities, business management ideas, other methods of achieving their goals).
What is your professional background? How did you become involved with Economic Development?
Born and raised on my family’s dairy farm in Noelville; I pursued my post-secondary education at College D’Alfred. I completed a Food Technician diploma and an Agriculture Technician diploma. I farmed for 4 years on my family’s farm after college. I’ve worked for Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Gencor and Coopérative Régionale Sudbury- Nipissing Ltee. I have experience with dairy, beef and laying hens. I also have a background in maple syrup and rural agriculture leadership. I became involved in economic development as part of my role as an Agriculture Development Advisor.
What is the added value that you give OMAFRA clients?
In my 10 years of progressive government experience in economic development, I have worked in both rural and urban environments at the municipal, regional and now provincial levels of government. This experience has provided me with a vast amount of knowledge as well as professional contacts throughout the province. For our municipal and regional clients in particular, having that experience and sharing that knowledge is valuable to help them and the Regional Economic Development Branch achieve our goals and objectives through our Economic Development Programs.
How do people contact you?
They can reach me at the Verner OMAFRA office, 11790 Hwy 64, Verner, Ontario; by phone: 705-594-2313 or via email; Pierrette.desrochers@ontario.ca
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