Our Team

Brayden Bell is the Field Manager for Discovery Farm Langham & Woodstock where he is the liaison for field suppliers and provides field management for all Discovery Farm Woodstock demonstrations and research projects. He also supports the Grober Young Animal Development Centre and coordinates operational and programming needs for our annual onsite farm shows Ag in Motion (Saskatchewan) and Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (Ontario).

“It’s great to work in a place where new products are being tested in real Ontario farming conditions,” says Brayden. “The projects and demonstration events at Discovery Farm Woodstock build on industry partnerships and provide important innovations that offer new options for farmers.”

Brayden is part of his family’s dairy, poultry and cropping operation, plus has ownership of a seed dealership. These experiences in agriculture have helped inform the many seasonal decisions Brayden faces every day and makes him a valuable team member at Discovery Farm Woodstock.

Blake is the Glacier FarmMedia Discovery Farm Director of Research & Demonstration, where he oversees how field trials are designed and implemented. Every growing season presents new challenges and the Discovery Farm is the place to find practical solutions. “I grew up on a farm and I appreciate the real challenges farmers deal with,” Blake says. “At the Discovery Farm we can be very responsive to the prevailing issues farmers are facing. We can address all kinds of questions or practices across the crop production cycle.”

Blake is a Master’s graduate from the College of Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan and the Agriculture Research chair at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Blake and his team always have the practical aspects of field trials in mind when conducting research. “When the farmer sees the results and it interests them, we encourage them to validate it on their farm,” Blake says. “Our trails are intentionally conducted at the field-scale using commercial equipment, so that the results are meaningful to producers and practices can be readily implemented.”

For Blake, the Discovery Farm is a place where novel practices or products are validated and results are meant to stimulate agronomic conversations. “We have the ability to absorb a greater amount of risk than the average producer might have,” Blake says. “While using good stewardship practices, farmers want to maximize their return on every acre of land. They don’t always have the ability to experiment on their farm. We have the ability to play around at the Discovery Farm. Farmers can take what we learn and test it out themselves.”