CCA SPOTLIGHT

Here we will be featuring some of our exceptional Ontario CCAs to show what sorts of things they get up to on the job, and what the CCA designation means to them.

2024 Emerging Leader – Saveetha Kandasamy

The Emerging Leader recognition is something new for Ontario CCAs. It was created by the CCA-ON Marketing Committee, with the intent to showcase and share the talents and dedication of CCAs who have only recently obtained their designation and show great promise for the future.

For the first time ever, at the Annual CCA Meeting and Conference, the CCA has recognized Saveetha Kandasamy as the Emerging Leader for 2024!

Saveetha has quite the background story, being born and raised in India. She brings to the table a robust research and scientific background, obtaining her B.Sc. in Agriculture, M.Sc. in Plant Pathology and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology. After her schooling, Saveetha made her way to Canada in 2010 for a Post-Doctoral research position at Dalhousie, focused on biostimulants. From there, she has worked for Agriculture and Agrifood Canada as well as A&L Labs. Her positions were focused around Nitrogen cycling and biological communities as well as applied research on soil heath. Saveetha was a significant contributor to A&L’s VitTellus Soil Health and VitTellus Bio tests.

Fast-forward to 2020, Saveetha obtained her CCA, as her interests shifted towards agronomy and sustainable agriculture. Presently, Saveetha is transitioning to full-time agronomy consulting. She has received high praise from the growers she collaborates with in areas of soil health and nutrient analysis and recommendations, zone management, seed variety and inoculant evaluations, training seminars and disease identification and management. Her colleagues also speak highly of her specifically in the areas of innovation, research and trial evaluation.

Aside from her passions of agronomy and soil health, Saveetha loves to spend quality time with her family, including swimming and painting with her 5-year-old daughter, and the exploration of food and nutrition with her husband. Saveetha has a deep appreciation for all crops, but has a special place in her heart for soybeans and corn. She also has a love for her house plants, which reside outside of London in her family home that she designed and built with her husband over the past 3 years!

Congratulations, Saveetha!