Agriculture Expert Witnesses: 10

John Booth, the Principal Consultant and Practice Director of Sylvanus Arboricultural Consultants Ltd., is a Chartered Aboricuturalist and Chartered Environmentalist and one of the UK’s most widely qualified Arboricultural Consultants. He has over 25 years experience in both the private and public sectors and has written numerous articles and papers for respected publications including the International Journal of Urban Forestry for which he is also a referee.

Mr. Booth and Sylvanus Ltd. are regularly instructed by both developers and Local Planning Authorities (LPA’s) who are keen to ensure a satisfactory outcome from the planning process, (i.e. an appropriate balance between tree retention and realizing a site's development potential). All such work is carried out in accordance with the guiding principles of British Standard 5837 ‘Trees in Relation to Construction – Recommendations.’

Mr. Booth is a Bond Solon/Cardiff University trained Expert Witness and a member of the Expert Witness Institute. He has many years experience in both courtroom and planning enquiries.

Services Include:

Tree Inspection & Survey - Single Tree, Large Population, Mortgage Lending, Safety and Subsidence Issues

Tree Preservation Orders (TPO's) and Conservation Areas - Detailed Specifications for Tree Work Applications for Trees with Statutory Protection

Trees and Development - Tree Surveys for Submission with Planning Applications
Tree Constraints Plans (TCP’s)
Tree Protection Plans (TPP’s)
Arboricultural Impact Assessments (AIA)
Arboricultural Method Statements (AMS)

Kirstin Whitmire, LVT, owner of SK Ranch, has over 20 years of experience in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry and Ranching.

A Licensed Veterinary Technician, Ms. Whitmire has years of experience in veterinary corporate training, multi-unit veterinary hospital management and development, college CVA education, as well as ranching and business ownership.

Ms. Whitmire is a State of Texas/Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) certified proctor to both administer state board exams and to teach Continued Education through state and nationally approved CEU credits in both large and small animal, and for DVM’s/LVT’s/CVA’s in standard medicine, animal husbandry, emergency medicine, and FEMA large animal disaster, rescue, and emergency response. She also provides remote emergency triage for small and large animal hospitals throughout the United States and Canada.

Litigation Support - Ms. Whitmire has been retained as a Consultant/Expert Witness in multiple legal cases regarding ranching, animal husbandry and fencing. Her services are available for attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include on-site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Veterinary Medicine Small and Large Animal Husbandry Ranch Management Farm Management Agriculture Fencing Issues Animal Science

Animal Behavior Cattle / Cows Horses Cats / Dogs Corporate Instruction Veterinary Science Instruction FEMA / Animal Emergency Response

Panorama Consulting Group specializes in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems and has multiple testifying experts for failed software litigation. This high-profile firm is called upon to investigate the feasibility of litigation, provide software expert witness testimony, and build background reporting for some of the industry’s highest-profile software lawsuits. They have worked with organizations ranging from multi-national conglomerates to boutique and large law firms, as well as state offices of the Attorney General.

As independent enterprise software experts, Panorama Consulting Group has hands-on experience with hundreds of software vendors. Their firm is not tied to a single law firm or software vendor, allowing them to focus on all types of clients and industries. 

Bill Baumann on Expert Witness Testimony

Listen to Panorama Consulting Group's podcast episode: What Would Your Failed Enterprise Software Implementation Say if it Could Talk?

Litigation Support: The experts at Panorama Consulting Group work for both plaintiffs and defendants, software vendors and system integrators, and their customers. Their differentiator is using a team-based approach to provide expertise beyond just the testifying expert, which is cost-effective and efficient for their clients. They have multiple software expert witnesses available for provision of reports, depositions, and testimonies.

Allegations Addressed:

Fraud and Misrepresentation Breach of Contract “Off-the-shelf” Software Capability Misrepresentation and Claims Undefined Roles / Poorly Executed Responsibilities (Internal project team, VAR, ERP vendor, ERP consultant, or system integrator) Lack of Skills and Competencies Poor Project Management

Poor Benefits Realization Poor Implementation Planning, Resourcing and Budgeting Errors in Customization Errors in Integration ERP Failure Operational Disruption or  Loss Related to the ERP System

View Panorama Consulting Group's Consulting Profile.

John A. Harris, is Principal of Landscape Economics, LLC, President of Earth Advisors, Inc., and a LANDSCAPE ECONOMIST who has worked in the Arboriculture, Forestry, landscape, and horticultural fields for over 40 years. Mr. Harris has provided reputable consulting, education, and project management services for projects across the United States and internationally, in both temperate and tropical ecosystems. Areas of Expertise include:

• Landscape and Tree Risk Assessments
  • Landscape, Tree, Urban Forest, Nursery Plant Value Appraisals
  • Landscape, Tree, Urban Forest, Nursery Plant Damage Appraisals
  • Damage Assessments, Claims, and Recovery Consulting

• Arboriculture Industry Standards and Standard Practices
• Landscape, Arboriculture, Forestry, Environmental Project Management
• Utility Line Clearance Industry Standards and Standard Practices, Electrocution
• Landscape Industry Standards and Standard Practices- Design, installation, maintenance
• Personal Injury and Wrongful Death involving tree or landscape issues
• Municipal Tree Inventory and Management Plans
• Duty of Care and Negligence in Tree and Landscape Maintenance
• Forestry and Forest Resources Management
• Grounds Maintenance Practices
• Arboriculture and Arborist Practices

Karl L. Linck, PE, is an expert in Food Industry Production and Packaging with over 45 years of experience. A Professional Engineer in WI, IL, AZ, CA, FL, and ID, his main area of experience is with Sanitary Systems and their Design in Hygienic Food Processing. 

Litigation Support -  Along with design of many food processing / packaging systems and engineering department development and leadership, Mr. Linck has provided expert witness testimony for cases involving IP and Contract issues. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

Sanitary Food Systems Food Processing Systems Food Processing Equipment Facility Sanitary / Hygienic Design Facility Automation Site Selection

Equipment and Engineering Contracting Packaging Material Engineering Packaging / Production Line Efficiency MAP - Modified Atmosphere Packaging Food Packaging Systems / Equipment Food Production Operations

 Background Experience - Much of Mr. Linck's career has focused around dry, oils, refrigerated and frozen products in the pasta, natural cheese, processed cheese, appetizer, and entrée areas. He has led strategic growth of engineering functions, including procurement and customization of production equipment, production line layouts and facilities design, automation, packaging material engineering, site selection, and support engineering functions for all production operations and distribution/office needs.  

From 1992 to 2019, Mr. Linck served as Vice President of Engineering for Sargento Foods, Inc., where he provided key technical direction and management critical to growth and assembled the engineering department to support innovation, improvements, and production support with proper engineering/technician skill sets, among other duties.

Mr. Linck is currently the sole proprietor and engineer for Karl Linck, Technical Consulting, where he specializes in engineering educational material development, manufacturing consulting, expert witness work, and expert advice for the food industry.

The four PhD and registered PEs at Miller Engineering are celebrating 40 years of Professorships at three universities along with providing services to Government, Insurance, and Industry—through research, publications, presentations, and expert testimony. We have a dedicated office with a full time staff of engineers, researchers, and technical writers. The span of our collective academic and experiential expertise covers well the Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Agricultural, Industrial, Human Factors, Ergonomic and Safety fields of engineering. The areas listed below are from actual projects completed in our 40 years of history. 

Vehicles Car/Truck Accident Reconstruction Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Visibility & Reaction Time Analysis Tires, Trailers, Brakes & Accelerators Truck/Off Road Vehicle Egress/Ingress Traffic Signing and Construction Zones Electronic Vehicles Mechanical & Electrical Safety Product Safety & Analysis Machinery - Metal, Wood, Plastic Molding Machine Guarding & Safety, Robots, Automation Hazard and Risk Analysis Employee Safety Procedures – OSHA Electrical Distribution & Transmission Hazards

Warnings & Instructions Warning Labels & User Manual Design Hazard Analysis & Product Label Designs Medical Device & Drug Warnings & Instructions Inadequate Warnings Analysis Standard Compliance (ANSI Z535) Product Recall Information & Strategies Consumers/Household Safety Appliances & Tools Child Furniture, Choking, Playgrounds Swimming Pools & Exercise Equipment Recreation - ATV, Boats, Bicycles, Boards Ladder, Stair, Step and Railing Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents CPSC Recall Information & Strategies

Chemicals Safety & Labeling NEW OSHA HAZCOM (2012) & GHS Review MSDS, SDS and Product Label Compliance Toxic Torts - Diacetyl, Asbestos, Benzene, Lead, Carbon Monoxide Vaping & E-Cigarette Health Effects Chemical Exposures & Workplace Safety Chemical Inhalation, Ingestion, Dermal Contact Contamination - Water & Environmental Manufacturing & Process Line Accidents Slips, Trips, Falls, & Entanglements Fires & Explosions Cause & Origin Investigations Gas, Vapor, & Electrical Spontaneous Combustion Vaping & E-cigarette Battery Failures Fire Control & Explosion Issues

Agriculture Tractor & Equipment Accidents Chemical Applications & Exposures Crop Storage & Harvesting Accidents Pesticides Construction Vehicle Visibility Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents Power Tool Repetitive & Immediate Injuries Scaffolding - Cranes - Hoisting - Fork Lifts Insurance Subrogation & Forensics Accident Investigations Electrical & Fire Causation Chemical Leakage Damage Defective Equipment Injuries Premise and Process Damages

James M. Miller, PE, PhD – Founder  Dr. Miller is an Emeritus Engineering Professor at the University of Michigan. He has directly served in Washington originating several Federal OSHA safety regulations, and interacts regularly with CPSC regarding safety and product recalls. Dr. Miller often works on projects relating to compliance with occupational safety standards, provides upper management guidance on product design, recall and liability issues, and serves as an expert witness.

Mark R. Lehto, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Lehto is a Professor of Engineering at Purdue University. He completed his Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Michigan, where he specialized in Human Factors Engineering, in particular Warnings and Labeling. Dr. Lehto specializes in knowledge engineering, warnings and instructions, structuring expert systems, accident modeling, accident statistical analysis, consumer product safety, boating safety, in-field national surveys of product usage, and product information effectiveness.

David R. Clark, PE, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Clark is an Emeritus Engineering Professor at Kettering University. He was an engineering PhD graduate from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in human factors engineering and system safety analyses. He has a special expertise in electrical fire- and explosion-related accidents, and has extensive experience working for loss control companies, performing over 150 fire origin and cause investigations in the past few years.

Adam M. Olshove, PE, MSE – Engineering Manager Mr. Olshove has over 10 years of experience providing consulting services to industry and the legal profession. He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on control systems and battery modeling (2019), and a BS in Mechanical Engineering (2012), both from the University of Michigan. He has performed dozens of on-site investigations nationwide in relation to consumer product design and industrial accidents, including failure analysis and testing.

Jeffrey D. Rupp, MSE – Engineering Associate Mr. Rupp has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a MS in systems engineering and engineering management from Wayne State University. Among his company affiliates is 26 years with Ford Motor Company and Volvo Car Corporation, where he was involved in crash development and crash sensing calibrations.

Wayne G. Hipsley, BSc, MSc, has over 40 years of educational and practical experience in the business of horses. He currently provides legal expertise on a wide variety of issues pertaining to horses in local, regional, national, international, recreational, and professional settings. Mr. Hipsley's equine related work experience includes serving in many different roles in the horse industry on a domestic and international level. His diverse background provides a wide range of expertise. Litigation Support - Mr. Hipsley offers litigation support services to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. He has reviewed over 50 cases, been deposed 8 times, and has qualified and participated in 6 court testimonies. Areas of Expertise:

Animal Welfare Horse Appraisals Horse Buy-Sell Agreements Contractual Obligations Equestrian Competitions

Equine Breed Issues Ethical Equestrian Practices Safety Riding and Care Equestrian Tax Audits Zoning and Planning for Horses / Livestock

Selected Case Histories:

• Personal Injury
• Horse Parentage Qualification Dispute
• Loss of Income
• Intelligent Property and Copyright
• Sale of Horses
• Personal Injury
• Horse Show Disqualification
• Death of Rider
• Defective Tack and Equipment
• Veterinary Care
• Appraisals
• Riding Instructor Provides Improper Supervision
• Mounted Police Caused Injuries
• Misrepresented Horses at Sale
• Sleighing and Driving Accidents

View Wayne Hipsley's Consulting Profile.

Joel Coats, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Toxicology in the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University. Specializing in Insecticide Toxicology and Environmental Toxicology, he has been on the faculty at Iowa State University since 1978 and served as Department Chairman for seven years.

Dr. Coats’ research program includes two main areas: (1) insect toxicology and (2) environmental toxicology and environmental chemistry of Agrochemicals. His research in the insect toxicology area is focused primarily on natural products as insecticides and insect repellents, including investigations of their spectrum of activity, mechanisms of action, metabolism, synthesis of biorational derivatives and analogs, quantitative structure-activity relationships.

Dr. Coats is familiar with all types of pesticides and insect repellents, including synthetic and botanical insecticides, acaricides, fumigants, and repellents; toxicity, mechanisms of action, environmental and comparative toxicology, ecological risk assessment, persistence of pesticides, movement in the environment, and residue analysis.

Litigation Support - Dr. Coats provides expert witness services to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. He has been deposed and testified on numerous occasions. Dr. Coats offers opinions regarding pesticide cases of many types, including:

Non-target / Off-target Effects Residues Toxic Tort

Environmental Contamination Efficacy of Products Patent Infringement

Dr. Coats has received the International Award for Research in Agrochemicals from the American Chemical Society Agrochemical Division, and he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America. In October he received the Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

View Dr. Coats' Consulting Profile.

Brian Zimmerman, PE, has over 35 years of experience in the Commercial HVAC Engineering and Design market. The past 13 years, Mr. Zimmerman has designed over 350 Cannabis Cultivation and Processing Facilities across the US and Canada. 

Mr. Zimmerman is an expert in sizing and specifying HVAC equipment in the indoor cannabis and controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) markets. His specialty is in HVAC equipment sizing, control, and capabilities for maintaining stable design setpoints for temperature and relative humidity (RH).

Litigation Support - A Registered Professional Engineer in Colorado, Arizona, and California, Mr. Zimmerman provides expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. Cases include issues with cannabis cultivation and other indoor agriculture facilities. Services include on-site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Indoor Cannabis Cultivation Environment Cannabis Cultivation Engineering Indoor Cannabis HVAC Requirements   Mechanical Equipment Plant Transpiration Humidity

Vapor Pressure Differentials (VPD) Powdery Mildew Mold Leafy Greens Micro Greens

Background Experience - Mr. Zimmerman served as the Executive Vice President of Engineering at Urban-Gro, Inc. from 2019 through August 2022. He was previously the President and Owner of Impact Engineering, Inc., a company acquired by Urban-Gro in March 2019. Mr. Zimmerman founded this company in 1997 to provide full-service HVAC, plumbing, and electrical engineering, and consulting for the cannabis commercial development industry. 

In 2009, Mr. Zimmerman and his team at Impact Engineering designed the first cultivation facility in Colorado for Medicine Man Technologies. Since then, Impact Engineering has designed over 350 cannabis cultivation facilities across the US and in Canada. Mr. Zimmerman has perfected the ability to size and control the indoor environment with mechanical equipment to maximize the quantity, quality, health and consistency of product from harvest-to-harvest.

View Brian Zimmerman's Business Consulting Profile.

David D. Hunter is a Registered Consulting Arborist  with ASCA, USFS Trained Tree Risk Assessor, ISA Certified Arborist. ISA Tree Risk Assessor Qualified Professional Plan Appraiser and Professional Forester. Providing both Expert Witness and Consulting Services. David D. Hunter has been called upon to testify in court and has helped his clients reach resolution prior to trial. His services include: Expert Witness in Arboriculture and Forestry, professional plant appraisals of landscapes, trees and timber trespass, Tree Forensics as to why a tree or tree part failed causing injury or death, tree health and hazard/ risk assessments, and insurance claims relating to damage to tree, or people/property damaged by trees. David D. Hunter has over 40 years of experience from working in forestry, wildland fire and the field of arboriculture. David D. Hunter has been a consultant and expert witness in these fields for over 25 years. David D. Hunter services the western United States but is available nationwide.

Areas of Expertise:

• Arboricultural and Timber Trespass Issues
• Tree Forensics
• Tree Inventories
• Tree Surveys and Tree Protection Plans
• Tree Preservation Plans and Construction Sequences
• Hazard Tree Evaluations and Reports
• Appraisal of Loss Reports regarding Landscape Value Loss
• Arborist Reports

Training & Certifications:

• Certified as an Arborist PN-1068A, by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) - 1997-Present
• Graduate American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA), Arboriculture Consulting Academy
• Tree Failure Training Conference, Certified as Evaluator Portland, OR
• Registered Consulting Arborist membership in ASCA, RCA #408 (2003)
• US Forest Service Hazard Tree Risk Assessor Trained since 1979
• Certified Tree Risk Assessor (CTRA) by PNW ISA # PN-0150 (2006)ISA Tree Risk Assessor Qualified (2017)

View David Hunter's Consulting Profile.