Over the last year and a half, the seed industry’s been through so much. Ranging from working from home, telecommuting, travel bans, an election, a new presidential administration, all the way to all the current events shaking up the U.S.
If there’s one thing we all need during this time of uncertainty and new realm of business, it’s a leader. Or many leaders! We need folks who are willing to take charge and lead the way, who give others hope for the future. Leaders who can inspire coworkers, and leaders who can make a change in our industry for the better.
What’s one encouraging thing to see during this time of uncertainty? Seeing new, future leaders emerge, knowing that the future of crops are in good hands.
For the second year in a row, Seed World took to the field to find 10 leaders that are proving they will be our next generation leaders. These are seed industry professionals who have a drive not only to lead, but a passion for their industry and a desire to make a difference. These 10 Next Gen Leaders were nominated by their managers, their peers, and different seed associations who saw their potential as up-and-coming leaders.
Every day for the next 10 days, we’ll be announcing our Top 10 Next Gen Leaders. We’ll be updating this page as we continue to add our leaders, so be sure to check back every day to see who has been announced.
Leaders will be announced in alphabetical order by last name.
Seed World’s 2021 Top 10 Next Gen Leaders
- Nicole Hostert — field staff at the California Crop Improvement Association
- Luke Knight — crop protection territory manager at Corteva Agriscience
- Randy Knutson — seeds production research scientist at Syngenta Seeds
- Andrew Lauver — sales representative at Golden Harvest
- Brian Sundberg — corn inventory quality coordinator at AgReliant Genetics
- Mike Trebino — sales representative at Radicle Seed
- Luke Turner — inventory control manager/sales at Turner Seed
- Pamela Calvo-Velez — global and U.S. R&D fungicide and biologicals seed treatment lead at BASF
- Matt Wehmeyer — vice president of AgriMAXX
- Ariel Wiegard — director of government affairs at the American Soybean Association