Ralph C. Martin, Ph.D., P.Ag.
Founding Director, OACC

Phone: 902-893-6679
Fax:      902-896-7095
rmartin@nsac.ca

It is a pleasure for me to be the Director of OACC, an organization I have long imagined. Now OACC is here and operating and we appreciate your interest.

My research responsibilities are to investigate funding opportunities and to apply for funds to conduct the research of OACC. I am always looking for collaboration in organic agricultural research and invite you to contact me if you have ideas you want to develop. Currently, I am the project leader of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Strategic grant “Transition and Sustainability Strategies for Organic Farms” and I am supervising the implementation of other OACC research projects as well as ongoing pasture projects (http://www.nsac.ns.ca/pas/instind/pasturec/).

Education and teaching have been a strong interest for me in my career at NSAC. I maintain some responsibilities as a Professor in the Plant and Animal Sciences Department of NSAC. As requested, I offer graduate modules, Forages in Organic Agriculture and Multiple Cropping Systems and I am the instructor of the Plant Science third year course, Forage Crops.

I am proud of my background as a farm boy and I learned what is essential and important about agriculture from my grandfather before he died when I was seven. In my Mennonite community I learned many farm skills as I did in numerous 4-H clubs. My formal education includes a B.A. with philosophy and liberal arts courses. During my M.Sc. in Biology, I developed a keen interest in intercropping and my Ph.D. in Plant Science solidified my fascination with research. My love of teaching grew unexpectedly when I began teaching at NSAC, in 1990. I have organized and participated in numerous teaching conferences since then and thank all my students for teaching me too.

More detailed information about research, teaching, publications and affiliations etc. is available in my C.V. at http://nsac.ca/pas/staff/rma/default.asp