New Chief Sustainability Officer for Topline Farms

Apr 16, 2025

Canadian greenhouse grower Topline Farms has appointed Justine Taylor as its new Chief Sustainability Officer to support the company's aggressive growth strategy.

Taylor has 15 years’ experience in agriculture leadership roles, most recently as executive director, stewardship and sustainability, and executive director, agrichemical warehousing standards association (AWSA) for Croplife Canada.

She holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Justine Taylor to our leadership team at a pivotal time of growth and expansion across North America,” said Max Mastronardi, Executive Vice President. “As a vertically integrated organisation, we are guided by traceability, transparency, and trust – principles that Dr. Taylor will help shape as we advance our sustainability journey.”

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.