President

Jennifer Woike

Representing Poultry

Jennifer and her husband Ian operate a multi-faceted farm in the Cowichan Valley. While their main focus is on their egg layer flock of 60,000+ layers, they also operate an egg grading facility and market 100% of the eggs they produce.  Alongside the egg business, they also have a 35-acre hazelnut orchard, 50+ head cow/calf operation, and grow and harvest many different field crops. They have 3 children and their middle son is actively involved in the day-to-day farm operations.

In her four-year tenure with BC Egg Marketing Board, Jennifer served as Vice-Chair and representative for Vancouver Island and the chair of the Communications and Marketing Committee and the Production Management Committee. She also served as a National Alternate on the Egg Farmers of Canada Board. In 2021, Jennifer was appointed to the Island panel of the Agricultural Land Commission.

Jennifer has a Women in Leadership certificate from Cornell Online University as well as the NFP Governance certificate from the Sauder School of Business. Most recently, she enrolled in UBC Sauder School of Business to study Real Estate Licensing and has also completed the Foundations in Agricultural Management from the University of Guelph. Jennifer has been a guest lecturer at Olds College on a variety of topics including layer production practices, agriculture and the media, and women in agriculture.

In 2011, Jennifer was successfully elected to the Municipality of North Cowichan council where she chaired the Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee.

Vice President

Len Smit

Representing Nursery

Board Treasurer

Ray VanMarrewyk

Representing Greenhouse Vegetables

Ray is a fourth-generation greenhouse grower. He grows sweet bell peppers alongside his brother Ron at his family farm, Westcoast Vegetables, in Delta.  Ray serves as Treasurer for the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association and is a Director on the Delta Farmers’ Institute Board.  He previously worked as a Chartered Accountant for over a decade. His company’s growing passion is in People, Peppers, and Planet. Westcoast Vegetables has strong core values that complement the values of the agricultural sector.  Ray believes that growing vegetables in greenhouses (vegetables that otherwise do not grow well in B.C.) is critical to food security and sustainability for the province. He is committed to family and giving back to the community. 

Director-at-Large

David Mutz

Representing Coastal Horticulture

David is a third-generation berry farmer at his family farm, Berryhaven Farm Ltd. Together with his parents, he runs a wholesale fresh market berry operation in Abbotsford B.C. David sits on the Board of Directors for the Lower Mainland Horticulture Improvement Association. He is a representative on the Abbotsford Agriculture Grants Committee and the Canadian representative for the North American Raspberry/Blackberry Association. David has also served as Chair of the Raspberry Industry Development Council and on BCAC’s Labour Committee. David farms with the support of his wife, Kristen, together they have a young son and daughter.

Director

Lynda Atkinson

Representing Equine

Lynda has been a horse owner for decades. She breeds Morgans, Quarter Horses, and Standardbreds in Quesnel, B.C. In addition to BC Agriculture Council, Lynda also serves on the Board of Directors for several organizations including Horse Council BC, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and Harness Racing BC. She also sits on the B.C. Horse Racing Industry Management Committee. Lynda is a retired high school administrator, counselor, and college instructor.

Director

Sukhpaul Bal

Representing Interior Horticulture

Director

Henry Bremer

Representing Dairy

Henry is a 2nd generation dairy farmer on the family farm started 50 years ago, located north of Enderby. He farms with his wife and 2 of his 4 children, with their families, milking 180 Holstein cows out of a herd of 400 head.

Henry is a BCAC director as of the end of 2023, he is a director on the BC Dairy Association, as well as a director and past chairman on the Kamloops Okanagan Dairy Association, and has been involved with many other organizations in the past.

Henry believes in the power of farm families working together to build a solid agriculture industry in BC, and is looking forward to working within BCAC to help continue this.

Director

Annelise Grube-Cavers

Representing Organics

Annelise Grube-Cavers is a third generation farmer who owns and operates Fresh Valley Farms in Armstrong, BC. She works with her partner in life, and in business, to provide pasture-raised, certified organic meats, eggs, and garlic directly to eaters throughout the Okanagan Valley. After completing an MSc in Geography, Planning, and Environment at Concordia University, she returned to her roots in agriculture in the interior of BC. 

Annelise currently serves as a board member on the North Okanagan Organic Association. Off the farm Annelise has been a lead researcher on several food systems research projects for Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She believes passionately in educating people around the benefits of ecological and organic agriculture and, alongside her partner, is constantly working to innovate and improve on her own farm often with two farm kids in tow.

Director

Brian Kingzett

Representing Aquaculture

Director

Brian Thomas

Representing Cattle and Other Livestock

Brian is a third-generation rancher, and his family has been ranching in Okanagan Falls for over 100 years.  He is a Director for the BC Cattlemen’s Association, a Director for the South Okanagan Stockmen’s Association, and he was previously a Director for BC Livestock Producers Co-operative Association.

In 2000 his family sold a large portion of their ranch to The Nature Trust of British Columbia, to protect the land from development and to have it continue as a cattle ranch.  They now lease back the ranch, and currently run 200 cow/calf pairs and sell their excess hay.  On the land that wasn’t sold, they lease a portion to Arterra Wines Canada for a vineyard.  Brian also runs an organically listed compost operation, using cattle bedding and grape pomace from local wineries.

Director

Alex Vander Eyk

Representing Floriculture

Alex is a second-generation greenhouse operator at his farm, Scania Greenhouses Ltd. He grows potted flowering and tropical plants in a 120,000-square-foot greenhouse business in Langley, founded by his parents in 1979.

Alex has served as a director with United Flower Growers Association since 2006 and more recently as Vice-Chair.

Director

Hannah Willms

Representing Grain

Hannah and her husband Les own and operate a 3000 acre farm in Rose Prairie, in the BC Peace Country. They grow wheat, barley and canola.  In 2020, they opened a Sunflower Field & Pumpkin Patch as an agritourism venture.

Hannah is currently on the Board of Directors for the BC Grain Producers.

Ex Officio

Rebecca Senicar

Representing BC Young Farmers

Rebecca represents BC Young Farmers on the BCAC Board of Directors. Rebecca and her family operate Winners Holstein Farms, a 450 cow dairy farm in Cloverdale, B.C. In addition to milking cows, Rebecca has helped add a small beef herd to the farm and market beef products online to her community. Rebecca attended university in Saskatoon, working towards a bachelor’s degree in agriculture where she focused on animal sciences. During her time in Saskatoon, she volunteered at the university barns during lambing season, at the dairy, and vaccinated poultry. Rebecca has volunteered with the Mainland Young Milk Producers and was deeply involved in 4-H for more than a decade – at the club, district, provincial, and national levels. She enjoys networking with like-minded individuals, sharing ideas, and learning about other sectors in agriculture.