Our Team
Karin Schmid, ABP Lead
Karin grew up on a mixed farm near Keoma, AB, raising purebred Simmental cattle and grain, and is still involved to a limited extent. She has a Master’s Degree in Agriculture from the University of Alberta which focused on the genetic and metabolic factors affecting feed efficiency in beef cattle. Before joining Alberta Beef Producers, Karin spent just over four years with the Canadian Hereford Association as their Breed Development Coordinator. At ABP, Karin is responsible for providing technical support and policy direction in the areas of beef cattle health and welfare, research, environmental stewardship, and beef production practices.
Brian Karisa, Director
Brian joins the Living Lab after working for two years as a Research Program Officer with RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research), which utilized a producer-led funding model to support research projects. Brian managed the livestock research portfolio and worked with several industry stakeholders to ensure producers’ priorities were acknowledged and supported.
Brian holds a PhD in Animal Science (Beef Genomics) from the University of Alberta and a veterinary medicine degree.
Brian has a keen interest in the sustainability of Alberta’s Agriculture industry and with his experience in research, research funding and industry collaboration, will work hard to ensure the Living Lab achieves tremendous success and the beef, forage and crop industries in Canada remain sustainable and economically viable.
Adrienne Herron, Knowledge Transfer and Engagement
Adrienne grew up on a mixed farm in the BC Peace country. An avid equestrian and active in the beef industry with a seed stock herd. She has a Master’s Degree in Agriculture from the University of Alberta focused on animal behaviour and welfare. Before joining Living Lab, Adrienne worked for thirteen years as an extension specialist for Alberta Agriculture.
Kristine has been working out of central Alberta for the last several years under the banner of her company: Arvense. Kristine's primary focus is on rangelands and riparian areas management, mapping ecological areas, and data collection and management. Recently she completed the Producers Leading the Way project with Milk River Watershed Council Canada, she has an ongoing contract for rangeland assessments with Alberta Environment and Parks and is excited to continue her passion of working with producers via the Living Labs Initiative through Alberta Beef Producers.
Kristine Flaim, Engagement Facilitator South/Central Regions
Jodi Flaig, Engagement Facilitator Peace Region
Jodi is a first-generation cattle producer operating a commercial and purebred cow/calf herd in northeastern Alberta. She has worked in various parts of the agriculture industry from one end of the shovel to the other: community pasture, feedlot, dairy, CFIA and livestock producer organization. Working with and for producers is a passion. In her spare time she is honing her ranch roping and stock dog handling skills.