Dirk Herdieckerhoff

portrait of Dirk Herdieckerhoff, VJAD

Short biography of Direk Herdieckerhoff, Germany:

Dirk Herdieckerhoff gained his fruit industry experience working on a fruit farm in Kent, UK. In 1985, he completed his Masters degree in Agriculture at the University of Minnesota, USA. He then worked in various positions in agriculture and horticulture. For the last 25 years, Dirk has been the administrator of a fruit farm in Germany that specializes in production for processors.

Since 2010, Dirk has been the Chairman of the VJAD, the German blackcurrant growers organisation, and has been president of the IBA from 2014 till 2016.




Mike Kearney

Mike Kearney

Short biography of Mike Kearney, NZ:

Mike Kearney is Manager of Blackcurrants New Zealand Inc. This wholly-owned New Zealand grower cooperative represents all New Zealand blackcurrant growers.

Mike was a former economics policy adviser for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Holding a B.Ag.Com as well as diplomas in Accountancy and Horticulture, Mike has worked with horticulture industries in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom. At one stage, he also seconded to international fruit and vegetable company Hunter Saphir in London.

Mike is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and is a Director of Blackcurrants NZ Inc.




Tomi Pousi

Portrait of Tomi Pousi, Blackcurrant Specialist

Short biography of Tomi Pousi, F:

Tomi Pousi completed his plant production sciences studies (MSc) in University of Helsinki in 2017 specializing into plant pathology. Already during his studies he was working as technical support agronomist with biological plant protection products. In November 2019 he moved into the Finnish Association of Fruit and Berry Growers to work as a specialist.

He has joined the Agronomy & Plant Breeding Sector Group of the International Blackcurrant Association in December 2019.




Miroslaw Korzeniowski

Miroslaw Korzeniowski standing in an orchard

Short biography of Dr Miroslaw Korzeniowki, P:

Miroslaw Korzeniowski has been collaborating with the Polish blackcurrant association KSPCP since 2014 as an expert in crop protection, food chain and sustainable farming. In the same year, he also joined the IBA and dynamized the Agronomy Sector Group.

Education:

Agricultural and Marketing Management in AgriBusiness

PhD (Crop Protection in Horticulture) in 2016

Current Business Position in Bayer Central, East Europe & Central Asia:

Regional Crop Manager Horticulture

Food Chain Manager, Biologics Ambassador

Involvement in the IBA:

Miroslaw Korzeniowski has been part of the Agronomy & Plant Breeding Group of the IBA since 2016. He is one of the initiators of the information on plant protection products shared on the IBA website. Finally, Miroslaw has been elected to the IBA Board in 2018.




Dorota Jarret

Dr Dorota Jarret with a blackcurrant plant

Short biography of Dr Dorota Jarret, UK:

Dorota Jarret first graduated from the Agricultural University of Szczecin (Poland) with a degree in horticulture and a specialization in fruit cultivation. She then worked as an agronomist with a commercial soft fruit producer in Scotland. This is how she gained an experience of several years in the industry. At the same time, she undertook additional qualifications and obtained BASIS and FACTS certificates.

Finally, Dorota joined James Hutton Limited in December 2010 as a trainee fruit breeder / field geneticist: She undertook a PhD in genetic control of processing quality traits in blackcurrant under the supervision of Dr Rex Brennan.

Today, Dorota is involved in blackcurrant, blueberry and honeyberry breeding and fruit research at the James Hutton Institute. Her work in blackcurrant concentrates on researching new methods for breeding. She develops superior blackcurrant varieties for processing and fresh markets. Dr Jarret is linking the studies to commercial applications through James Hutton Limited.




Stanislaw Pluta

Stanislaw Pluta on stage at an International Blackcurrant Conference

Short biography of Dr Stan Pluta, P:

Stanislaw Pluta graduated at the Faculty of Horticulture at the Agricultural University of Lublin in 1983. He has then been working as a scientist at the Institute of Pomology and Floriculture (now the Research Institute of Horticulture) in Skierniewice, Poland, since 1985. Later, in 1994, he completed his PhD. He is now a renowned geneticist and breeder of new blackcurrant, gooseberry, blueberry and Saskatoon berry cultivars.

Stan is also a part time teacher at the local horticultural college. He is the author of over 90 original papers, monographs and implementation instructions, as well as 145 articles of popular science.

Until now, Dr Pluta has realized 10 new blackcurrant and 10 gooseberry cultivars.




Piotr Baryla

ID picture of Piotr Baryla

Short biography of Dr Piotr Baryla, P:

Piotr Baryla completed his gardening studies in 1996. Then, in 2004, he got a PhD degree in Agricultural Sciences, with the specialty of horticultural nursery. Issues related to the production of high quality nursery stock have been part of his work.

Today, he is a researcher at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin. In his spare time, he runs a farm orchard near Lublin, where he grows blackcurrants.

Since January 2013, Piotr has been Vice President of the Polish Blackcurrant Association (KSPCP), and has been elected President of the KSPCP in 2017. Within the KSPCP, he is responsible for organizational matters, advertising and contact with the media.

 

Involvement in the IBA:

Since 2014, Dr. Baryla has been vice-president of the IBA. He is also head of the Agronomy & Plant Breeding Sector Group of the IBA.




Jim Grierson

Short biography of Jim Grierson, NZ:

Jim has been involved as an Agronomist in horticulture for 39 years with the last 25 years within the Blackcurrant and Viticulture Industries. Currently, he is contracted to Frucor Beverages Ltd. He is responsible for the agronomy of the contracted fruit for the Ribena Brand in New Zealand.

As a director of Grierson Dodd Products Ltd, he markets Blackcurrant Extract, Blackcurrant Seed Oil and cereal dry powders to domestic and international markets for this NZ company. The marketing brand of the company is  “Vitality New Zealand”.

Involvement in the IBA:

Jim Grierson was the inaugural President of the International Blackcurrant Association from 2009 thru 2012. He chaired the IBA agronomy sector from 2012 thru 2014. At the same time, he was Board member of Blackcurrant New Zealand Inc from 2011 thru 2014. Jim is currently on the Blackhort Plant Breeding and Plant Protection committees for BCNZ Inc.

His wife Lynda and Jim have three children and six grandchildren. His hobbies include walking, fly fishing and following the mighty All Black rugby team.