Meet Our Board of Directors 

RICHARD MELVIN

Board Member, Past Chair
Richard is President and co-owner of Melvin Farms Ltd. Melvin Farms is a 5th generation family farm located in the Annapolis Valley near Canning, NS where they specialize in production of fresh vegetables for sale throughout Atlantic Canada.
Richard graduated from NSAC with a diploma in Agricultural Engineering in 1975. In 1983 he was awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship during which he studied Vegetable Production and Marketing as well as agricultural policy in Europe. Richard has served as a director of Acadia Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Feed Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Potato Marketing Board. As well he has served as President of the Nova Scotia Vegetable & Potato Producers Association, Kings County Federation of Agriculture, Horticulture Nova Scotia, Kings Produce Limited, Kings Processing Limited and Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. He is currently Chairperson of the Nova Scotia Food Policy Council and Farm Works Investment Cooperative. Richard and his wife Jacqueline have three children, a son and two daughters. They are all in Halifax. Allan and Rebekah are employed as Chartered Accountants and Mishelle is employed as a Hairstylist.

BRIAN NEWCOMBE

Chair, Board Member

Brian is a partner in Cornwallis Farms Ltd. located in Port Williams, Kings County. He is the ninth generation to farm on the original farmstead which was first settled in 1761.
Cornwallis Farms is a mixed operation consisting of dairy, layers, broiler chickens, and cash crops. He and his wife Edna were named among Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers in 2003. He is currently a director of Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce, and past President of the Outstanding Young Farmers of Canada. He is also chair of the Annapolis Valley Farms Trust Society and has been involved in Agricultural land policy for many years. Brian enjoys hockey, golf and camping with his wife Edna and three children Leah, Evan and Ryan.

TYLER JORDAN

Board Member
Tyler is a fourth generation farmer from Forest Hill, Nova Scotia, He is an integral part of his family farm called Jordans Natural Acres. They specialize in grass fed beef, pasture raised poultry, free range eggs, and free range pork. Tyler’s passion is working hands on with the animals, regenerative agriculture, growing diverse cover crops, rotational pasture, habitat and biodiversity for wildlife, and sustainable forestry management. In Tyler’s free time, not only is he a new parent with his partner Danielle to Henry, but he is also the president of the Kings County Federation of Agriculture, sits on the Nova Scotia Young Farmers board and the Policy Advisory Committee of the NSFA. Tyler is very active in the farming community and various local events.

LESLIE WADE

Board Member
Leslie worked for 16 years in social work. For over ten years she ran a small business and since 1997 has been managing the family farm. 
She is concerned about all things environmental including the need for a healthy and sustainable future, hence, her interest in farmland protection.

LINDSAY STEELE

Board Member
Lindsay Steele, BSc (Agr), Dip. Equine Sci.
​Lindsay Steele is a fifth-generation farmer from Scots Bay, Nova Scotia, and owner of her family’s farm , Hustle Farms (Cape Split Farms Limited), with a long-standing foundation in broiler production.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Animal Science) from Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture (formerly Nova Scotia Agricultural College) and a diploma in Equine Sciences from Olds College.
Lindsay has served as Director and Chair of Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia and the Chicken Producers Association of Nova Scotia, a former director Kings County Federation of Agriculture, a representative on the Nova Scotia Council of Leaders of NSFA and Director of the Scotts Bay Wilderness Society.
She brings a practical, experienced perspective to agricultural land stewardship, with a strong commitment to preserving working farmland and supporting resilient rural communities.

MARK TIPPERMAN

Vice Chair, Board Member

Mark Tipperman is a real estate lawyer, first admitted to the Bar in 1974 and residing in Nova Scotia since 2009. His background includes serving on the Annapolis Valley Farm Land Trust land acquisition committee, the Real Estate Financing Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s office, as chair of the Real Estate Section of the Canadian Bar Association – Nova Scotia Branch, as a member of various Bar association real estate committees, on a county appointed land use advisory committee, as a member of an agricultural committee of a state-wide land use group, as organizer and president of a community based land use group, and has otherwise been active in efforts to preserve the agricultural land base. Mark has created conservation easements on 2700 acres of land that he or his family-owned company owned. Mark and his wife live in the Gaspereau Valley.

BARRY KENDALL

Treasurer, Board Member

Barry is a CPA and Principal with Grant Thornton LLP in the Kentville office. He has worked with Grant Thornton for over 31 years including the last 5 in Kentville. Barry works in the accounting, assurance and business advisory practice of Grant Thornton providing services to a broad range of clients across the Annapolis Valley with particular focus on the agricultural sector. Barry lives with his wife in Cambridge.

ROBB MACMILLAN

Consultant

Robb Mac Millan has worked with farmers across Nova Scotia while employed with the provincial Farm Loan Board for 20 years. Job responsibilities included financing the acquisition of land by producers planning to start or expand their agricultural holdings. During this time Robb has gained an appreciation for both the importance of ensuring high capability farmland is protected and the competing demands for this finite resource.  Robb has a Bachelors and Masters degree from the University of Guelph in Agriculture.He has also completed course work offered by the Appraisal Institute of Canada . Now retired from the provincial civil service Robb is involved in a community garden,manages a family woodlot, grows wild blueberries and previously volunteered for the Fundy Interchurch Foodbank . He looks forward to working with the Annapolis Valley Land Trust as it works to protect farmland for future generations.

​ROB SUTHERLAND

Board Member

Rob Sutherland is a recently retired CPA who spent most of his career in KPMG’s Advisory practice.  He worked in KPMG offices in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Toronto. For the last 25 years Rob’s focus was advising governments and pension funds on infrastructure development and acquisition as a Partner in KPMG’s Global Infrastructure Advisory practice. Rob and his wife Janice are both graduates of Acadia University and have lived in the Gaspereau Valley since 2007.   
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JONATHAN WORT

     Board Member
Jonathan Wort, BSc., P.Ag. is currently the Manager of Livestock and Field Crops at Perennia. 

​Jonathan provides advice to farmers on livestock production specializing in ruminants. He has extensive knowledge of ruminant production and management, particularly sheep. In addition, he has experience in policy and regulation related to livestock both provincially and nationally.
With over 25 years’ experience as a commercial farmer raising sheep and beef and delivering custom farm services; Jonathan brings practical experience with his current extension responsibilities. As a producer Jonathan has experience in the importation and marketing of livestock genetics.
He has been actively involved in many farm organizations, including provincial and national commodity associations. This experience includes being chair of both the Canadian Sheep Breeders Association and the Canadian Animal Health Coalition and serving on the Veterinary Drugs Directorate Stakeholder Committee.

ANDREW WOOLAVER                                                                                            

Board Member

Andy Woolaver grew up on a farm in Blomidon, N.S.  He graduated from Acadia University and worked for many years with a commercial bank in retail, commercial and agricultural credit. Andy has been with Crown Lending of the Province of Nova Scotia the past three years, focusing on ‘Further Processing’ in these sectors:
     Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board
     Nova Scotia Timber Loan Board
     Nova Scotia Fisheries & Aquaculture Loan Board
He enjoys volunteering, some travel and love what we have here in the Annapolis Valley