2025 Women’s Agricultural Leadership Conference
Rooted in Agriculture: Cultivating Leadership; Growing Together
Tag: Forever Green Initiative
122nd MCIA Annual Meeting Recap
On January 29, 2025, members of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association joined the organization’s staff and board members for the Association’s 122nd Annual Meeting.
Cover Crops—Fundamentals and More
The program began with an informative panel discussion on the topic Cover Crops—Fundamentals and More. Four panelists fielded questions from the moderator, MCIA President/CEO Fawad Shah, and from attendees. Alex Udermann, of Meadowbrook Farm in Sartell, described a cautious, patient, and practical approach toward adoption of regenerative farming practices. It took four to five years to see convincing improvement in soil health on his farm, but, he said, “We didn’t spend any money those five years unless we saw the benefits.” Alex endorses the use of cover crops as part of a broader strategy, including no-till, plant diversity, integrated livestock, manure, and compost. “You can’t just do a cover crops and get the success we have,” he said. “We have to do all five soil health principles to get the success we want to see. So we can’t just pick one and expect great results.”
Courtney Cheever, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Minnesota, discussed how cover crops can help manage erosion by protecting the soil. Forming a buffer, cover crops allow rainwater to infiltrate soil that is more permeable rather than running off and degrading exposed soil surfaces. Also, “they help suppress the weeds because when you harvest that crop and then you plant a cover crop in there—the intent is—there’s not a whole lot of room for competition, so the weeds won’t grow.” Another benefit of cover crops, as a component of no-till farming, is a reduction in pests through improved soil health. To growers who are interested in financial incentives, NRCS offers two programs, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). “Both of those can provide financial assistance to plant cover crops,” Courtney said.
Michael Merriman, Seed and Biotechnology Supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, stated the purpose of governmental regulation of cover crops: to protect the consumer and to maintain a fair marketplace. He cautioned growers to understand the difference between seed and grain, “Anything that’s been labeled as feed, as grain, is not seed. It hasn’t been tested. You don’t know what’s in it. You don’t know if there’s noxious weeds. You don’t know what variety it is.” “There’s a lot of unknowns there. So, the consumer is not being protected.” Fielding a question about who is culpable when dishonest transactions occur, he answered, “It’s definitely an illegal practice to be selling grain if you know that the customers are going to be buying it and planting it.”
Matthew Kelley, Product Manager/Buyer for Forages and Covers at Agassiz Seed & Supply, spoke about how he works with customers to match the goal they are trying to achieve—erosion management, nutrient cycling, forage—to the most appropriate cover crop for that purpose. He and Courtney Cheever both confirmed that the use of cover crops is increasing. “The most common cover crop right now in Minnesota is winter rye grain,” Matt said. “It’s an over-wintering annual and, and it is planted extensively across Minnesota.”
Creating Opportunities for Farmers and Businesses
Then, Mitch Hunter, PhD, Co-Director of the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota, addressed the topic Creating Opportunities for Farmers and Businesses. Professor Hunter provided an overview of the Forever Green Initiative’s work. It is developing “continuous living cover” solutions to the pervasive problems of the soil and water degradation that result from common agricultural practices that rely on annual crops and leave soil uncovered for several months after harvest.
Professor Hunter emphasized that the Forever Green Initiative takes a comprehensive approach to its work. The University of Minnesota’s research and development work is crucial, but it is only one part. They see their work as building value chains. The university has a commercialization team that works with industry, and Forever Greens works “with a broad group of people across the private sector, the public sector, NGOs, etcetera, to change our policy landscape, the economic and cultural conditions that allow us to make a big change and bring a new crop into the marketplace.”
In his talk, Professor Hunter focused on the intermediate wheatgrass Kernza and the oil seeds winter camelina and pennycress, three of the fifteen crops that Forever Green is developing. Each holds out economic promise for farmers and ag-related businesses.
Kernza is the first perennial grain in the marketplace. It is performing well among organic consumers. “On the other hand, the conventional market is struggling,” said Hunter, due to consumer price-sensitivity. Kernza has a comparatively higher price than other grains on the market. What are Kernza’s selling points? For consumers, it tastes good. For soil health, it has a “deep, dense, perennial root system.” Compared to corn, “Kernza takes less fertilizer, but it’s also incredibly efficient at ensuring that that fertilizer doesn’t move through the rooting zone and into the groundwater or other waterways,” asserted Hunter. The result is a “90 plus percent reduction in potential nitrate leaching.” The story of Kernza will continue as the plant is further developed by the University and as processors innovate.
Professor Hunter turned next to the winter oil seeds: winter camelina and pennycress. Both are extremely winter hardy. They keep the soil covered. Even when fertilized, they “keep the soil water nitrate level below the drinking water standard.” They have high yield potential and high oil content. There are many potential markets for these crops, but currently the greatest interest is in low carbon fuels, especially for use in the aviation industry. One big success: “We did have a flight to come out of MSP airport, fueled by oil . . . fuel that was made from the oil grown in this pilot” program, explained Hunter. “But it really was just a proof of concept, and there’s a lot more work that needs” to be done to scale up. Other markets include heart-healthy food oils and high-protein livestock feed.
“To really scale, we need to be growing these with soybeans,” said Hunter. However, farmers would need to adapt to a new relay cropping system to grow winter camelina in concert with soybeans. An even greater potential could be reached if winter oil seeds could be grown following grain corn—eight million acres could be planted in the state. Other challenges remain. The crops have not fared well in wet growing conditions. More breeding needs to be done to continue to improve the agronomic characteristics of these crops, reduce residue, increase yields, and advance flowering.
Professor Hunter concluded with a look toward the future, “There are other perennial grains in our portfolio that we’re developing. We’re hopeful that some of those can kind of leapfrog and learn from all the learnings that we’ve had over the 10 years with Kernza and come online a little bit quicker, with a fewer of the liabilities, but that all remains to be seen.”
US Identity Preserved Program
Next up was Shane Frederick, Manager of Special Programs with Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA). He addressed the topic US Identity Preserved Program: Global Impact. Members of his organization are mostly U.S. food processors whose products are destined for export markets. SSGA helps its members to coordinate transportation and connects them with farmers and to other businesses in the ag value chain. SSGA also plays a role in the promotion of its members’ products abroad.
Shane spoke to the importance of the U.S. Identity Preserved brand, launched in 2021, in promoting U.S.-grown soybeans to markets in Asia, whether to mature markets like Japan and Korea, or to developing markets like those in Southeast Asia which have growing middle classes that are eager to buy higher quality foods and innovative food products. Soybeans are already used in a variety of Asian food products: tofu, tempeh, natto, soymilk, soy flour, soy sauces, and soy-based snacks.
Shane explained the added value that U.S.-grown IP soybeans offer to food processors overseas, “We’re assuring that they’re getting exactly what they ordered in order to make a more consistent product, a more flavorful product, a higher quality product.”
The standards and processes behind the U.S. Identity Preserved brand were developed with assistance from MCIA. IP plans may include care of equipment, recordkeeping, storage, maintaining the identity of the product, land selection, planting and growing, harvesting, handling, and transportation. “We make sure that those companies have an audit in place, a third-party audit of their identity preserved program,” Shane explained. “We verify that the products are traceable back to a defined point in the supply chain. So that might be all the way back to a specific field. That might be back to the processor.”
A higher quality product provides food manufacturers with an ingredient of consistent flavor, color, and quality; one that is ultimately more appealing to consumers. For manufacturers, high-quality soybeans offer savings: less waste, less sorting, and less labor. For exporters, the added value of this premium product allows for premium pricing.
SSGA aspires to build on the initial success of the U.S. Identity Preserved brand and increase the market for U.S.-grown soybeans. SSGA’s message to Asia’s consumers is that the U.S. Identity Preserved brand “stands for quality assurance through the great take care that our companies, the IP companies, their farmers, and everybody else through the steps of the identity preserved process take.”
Business Meeting
During the business meeting segment of the Annual Meeting, members heard organizational and fiscal reports from officers of MCIA’s Board of Directors. MCIA President/CEO Fawad Shah also delivered a report on the state of the association. Board Chairman Brad Barth presided over the election of two new board members, Michael Backman and Brian Jensen. Members also ratified Nancy Jo Ehlke to serve another year on the board as the UMN’s nominee. See our earlier post for more information about the board election. (We will provide the president’s report and the business meeting minutes separately.)
In accordance with tradition, MCIA made time during the Annual Meeting to recognize those whose contributions and achievements have contributed to the success of the seed industry. MCIA Field Services Manager Kris Folland emceed the ceremony. The recipients of this year’s Achievement in Crop Improvement Award were Mac Ehrhardt and Tom Ehrhardt. Brad Barth, Maynard Peterson, and Brian and Betsy Jensen were the Premier Seed Grower Award honorees. Lonnie Perrine and Brent Turnipseed received the Honorary Premier Seed Grower Award. See our previous post for profiles of these recipients and further information about the awards.
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Please plan to join us in 2026 for MCIA’s next Annual Meeting!
Remembering the Life and Work of Donald Wyse
In remembrance of Professor Donald Wyse, a great friend of MCIA who died July 2, 2024, we present here remarks he shared upon receiving MCIA’s highest honor, the Achievement in Crop Improvement Award, in January 2021.
A 46-Year Career Working in Collaboration with MCIA and the Grass Seed Industry in the Roseau and Lake of the Woods Region
By Donald Wyse (1947–2024), Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota
My wife, Beverly, and I, along with our two children Dawn (5 years) and Ryan (3 weeks), moved from East Lansing, Michigan, to St. Paul in June 1974, to start my career as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. I had just completed my Ph.D. program in weed science and plant/herbicide biochemistry at Michigan State University. I had recently agreed to accept a weed science research and teaching position in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics that had been lobbied for by MCIA and the northern Minnesota grass seed industry. The research focus of my new position was selected to be perennial weed management across all of Minnesota’s agricultural systems. The primary research focus of the position was intended to be on two perennial weeds, quackgrass and Canada thistle, which were of great concern at that time to farmers across the state of Minnesota, and especially important to the grass and legume seed producers in [the] Roseau and Lake of the Woods region of northern Minnesota.
After early discussions with MCIA personnel, and the grass seed producers, my research program soon became focused on the development and implementation of quackgrass management systems to support the production of certified quackgrass-free seed of turf and forage grass species. When I started my career, quackgrass was endemic throughout Minnesota, and was the primary deterrent to the production of high-quality grass seed of turf (Kentucky bluegrass) and forage (timothy) species that were under production in the region at that time. Quackgrass was also prohibiting the expansion of grass seed production to new turf species, like perennial ryegrass. Quackgrass reduced the seed yield of the turf and forage grasses, but the primary impact was on seed quality, because it was difficult to remove quackgrass seed and seed parts from the harvested Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass seed during the combining and seed cleaning process. Grass seed that could not be certified to be free of quackgrass could not be sold for sowing purposes, which was a very costly potential economic loss to grass seed producers, [if] their seed was rejected. This is where my interaction with MCIA started, in a collaborative working relationship, along with the grass seed producers and seed processors in Roseau and Lake of the Woods counties.
My early interaction with MCIA was through discussions with Ward Marshall, who was the Manager of MCIA when I arrived in my new position, and then Harley Otto, soon thereafter. My primary MCIA contact became Ray Derry, who lived in Roseau at the time I initiated my research program. He became one of my primary mentors in the early days of my career, as I learned about the grass seed industry and the associated weed seed contamination issues facing the grass seed industry. Over the years, I had the privilege of continuing my relationship with MCIA personnel through my interaction with Gary Beil, Ben Lang, Fawad Shah, Roger Wippler, Cindy Wippler, and Kris Folland. I soon learned that there was a great working relationship between the grass seed producers, seed processors, MCIA, and the University of Minnesota, all designed to produce high-quality, certified grass seed for the global market.
When I started my research, the primary seed processors in the Roseau, and Lake of the Woods region were Marvin Seed, Northrup King, Northern Farm and Garden, and Habstritt Farms. Over the years, these companies evolved and today the seed processing and marketing leadership for the grass seed industry is provided by Northern Excellence, Habstritt Seed Co., and NorFarm Seeds. These organizations, in partnership with the seed producers, MCIA, and University of Minnesota researchers, have developed coordinated grass seed production and seed processing systems that dramatically reduced quackgrass contamination in producer fields. The low level of quackgrass seed remaining in the harvested grass seed has been eliminated through the development of ingenious seed processing systems that rely on the art, science, and technology developed by the seed processing industry in the region, resulting in the reliable production of high-quality, certified quackgrass-free grass seed from the Roseau and Lake of the Woods region of Minnesota.
My relationship with MCIA was also facilitated through my interaction with many of the grass seed producers, seed processors, and associated industries that have worked in a close partnership with MCIA, and in some cases played leadership roles in the MCIA organization over the years. This included Charles Habstritt, Chuck Habstritt, Scott Habstritt, Jim Habstritt, Gustav Kveen, Ed Baumgartner, Mike Baumgartner, Bob Bergland, Stephen Dahl, George Helmstetter, Evert Helmstetter, Steven Helmstetter, Yvonne Magnusson, Richard Magnusson, Charles Lund, Doc Berry, Don Berry, Brent Benike, Dwight Roll, and many others. What I have learned in my career is that it truly does take a Village to produce great outcomes, and in this case a Village composed of individuals and families from Roseau, Lake of the Woods, and Ramsey counties.
Major contributions from the Village I worked in:
On my first trip to Roseau, in late June of 1974, I was taken out to a Kentucky bluegrass field, directly north of the Habstritt Farms seed processing facility, to view the quackgrass challenge that I would face in my career. The field was infested with the most vigorous and phenotypically diverse patches of quackgrass that I had ever seen in my life. The group that took me out to the site were members of the families and organizations that I would work with for the next 46 years. They showed me a plot of quackgrass that had been treated with a new herbicide at that time, called Roundup. The plot had been treated the previous fall with a high rate of the herbicide; the quackgrass regrowth in the treated plot was more vigorous than what was in the untreated check. The herbicide treatment had just thinned out the quackgrass stand and made it more vigorous. I remember Charles Habstritt Sr. looking at me with a grin on his face as he wished me good luck in my career that was designed to subdue quackgrass. But now, when I look back on that day, I can say that I did have a great career. However, my accomplishments were the result of members of the Village working together to figure out how to subdue quackgrass in the grass seed production region of Minnesota.
I initiated a comprehensive quackgrass research program in the fall of 1974 to evaluate how herbicides, tillage, and cropping systems could be used in combination to develop durable and profitable quackgrass management systems for grass seed producers. One of the new tools that became available that fall was Roundup, which became a very important tool in the development of effective quackgrass management systems for grass seed producers. Very early on in the development of glyphosate for the control of quackgrass in grass seed production systems, we discovered that regardless of the rate or date of treatment quackgrass regrowth always occurred following the initial application. In subsequent research, we discovered that a nocturnal weevil (Notaris bimaculatus) invaded quackgrass stems and then migrated into the rhizomes where they fed on the rhizomes, resulting in the detachment of rhizome segments from the parent plant, prohibiting the translocation of glyphosate into the detached rhizome sections. Buds on the detached rhizome segments sprouted, allowing the re-establishment of the quackgrass populations. This understanding led to the design and implementation of successful quackgrass control systems.
The cost of Roundup, in its early stage of introduction, was about $30 per acre, which was very expensive for use in the grass seed production system, limiting its use by producers. Producers tried to reduce the cost of the Roundup treatments by reducing the rate of application, but this resulted in a dramatic reduction in quackgrass control. My project discovered how to cut the cost of the Roundup treatment by 50 percent without a corresponding reduction in quackgrass control. We discovered that if the water carrier rate was cut by 50 percent, when the herbicide rate was reduced by 50 percent, the control remained equal to the full herbicide rate with the standard carrier rate. The Roundup label was modified by Monsanto to reflect this discovery, which saved grass seed producers and other farmers a lot of money over the years.
Since the glyphosate treatments failed to give complete control of quackgrass prior to seeding new stands of Kentucky bluegrass, we developed a technique to selectively control tall growing quackgrass in newly seeded Kentucky bluegrass fields. It was based on the principle that quackgrass regrowth from rhizomes produce tall stems, while newly seeded Kentucky bluegrass did not produce stems without vernalization. This situation provided for a height differential between the two species, allowing for the spraying or wiping of a glyphosate solution on the tall growing quackgrass stems without making contact with the low growing Kentucky bluegrass plants. My research team developed and evaluated several prototype applicators that provided the proof of concept. Then, we worked in partnership with Dwight Roll, Myron Kofstad, and Charles Habstritt, to develop a roller applicator that allowed for the selective application of glyphosate solutions on quackgrass stems and leaves in new seedlings of Kentucky bluegrass. This selective treatment delayed the re-establishment of quackgrass in Kentucky bluegrass seed production fields. We developed a company to produce the roller applicators and made them commercially [available] to producers across the country. The roller applicator was also used to control tall growing Park off-types in fields of short, elite varieties of Kentucky bluegrass that were being introduced for seed production in the region.
My research team discovered that herbicides from two new herbicide families, the FOPs and DIMs, which had been developed to control annual and perennial grasses in dicot crops, could also be used to selectively control quackgrass in creeping red fescue, sheep fescue, and hard fescue. This opened up the potential to move the seed production of these fescue species into the Roseau and Lake of the Woods region, along with the ability to selectively manage quackgrass in the seed production system. When this discovery was made, none of varieties of these fescue species performed well in the region. However, Eric Watkins, the University of Minnesota’s turf grass breeder, has since developed, and will soon release, a new high yielding creeping red fescue variety for production in the region, allowing for another grass seed crop to be produced in the region in which quackgrass can be selectively controlled.
My herbicide biochemistry team was the first research team in the world to discover the mode-of-action of the FOP and DIM herbicide families. The site of action was ACCase, a key enzyme in lipid synthesis in all plants. This discovery led to the development of Poast tolerant field corn and sweet corn varieties, which were marketed commercially by Pioneer Hybrid, DeKalb, and PepsiCo.
The major outcome of the ACCase research effort, however, was in support of the grass seed industry, through the development of Assure II tolerant perennial ryegrass. Kevin Betts, working in partnership with Nancy Ehlke and Donn Vellekson, developed the first Assure II tolerant perennial ryegrass variety through the crossing of an annual ryegrass selection that contained an herbicide resistant form of ACCase, with a turf type perennial ryegrass line. This discovery led to the development of the University of Minnesota’s perennial ryegrass breeding program. This breeding program helped to initiate the perennial ryegrass seed production industry in the Roseau and Lake of the Woods region of Minnesota. The ryegrass breeding program has developed turf type perennial ryegrass varieties with good winter hardiness, Assure II tolerance, and improved texture and color. The Assure II tolerant varieties allow producers to control quackgrass selectively in perennial ryegrass seed fields. Ranger, Ranger II, Artic Green, Green Emperor, Polar Green, and Royal Green perennial ryegrass varieties developed by the University of Minnesota breeding program have been released to grass seed producers in the region over the last 20 years. New perennial ryegrass varieties with improved color are scheduled to be released from the program very soon.
The development of effective, glyphosate-based quackgrass control programs in all cropping systems associated with the grass seed production system, along with the introduction of Assure II tolerant perennial ryegrass, has opened up the production of many additional commercial perennial ryegrass varieties, which now supports a very vibrant perennial ryegrass production and processing industry in the Roseau and Lake of the Woods region.
Following many years of the evaluation of the phenotypic variation in quackgrass populations collected in the Roseau and Lake of the Woods region we identified lines of quackgrass that we incorporated into a population of quackgrass that produced high forage yields with high digestibility. The selected line was released as a forage grass variety, named Evert, which was a result of a collaboration with Nancy Ehlke and Craig Sheaffer.
Based on the successful development of the grass seed industry in the Roseau and Lake of the Woods region over the last 70 years, it is now viewed by many as a model for the development of similar collaborative programs in other regions of the state. A diverse set of individuals and organizations, including faculty, state agencies and community leaders are working together to develop this type of program for the entire state of Minnesota through the Forever Green Initiative. The program is now focused on the development of 15 new perennial and winter annual crops, that can be incorporated into Minnesota’s agriculture system to produce ecosystem services and new economic opportunities for producers and rural communities. MCIA, and several grass seed producers, and seed processors have been instrumental in supporting the development of this new initiative. These groups have played very important roles in the development of one of the first Forever Green crops, Kernza. The University of Minnesota recently released MN-Clearwater, which is the first perennial grain variety developed in the world. It is now available for production by Minnesota grain and seed producers. For additional information on the Forever Green Initiative go to the Forever Green website: https://forevergreen.umn.edu.
I also want to acknowledge the University of Minnesota faculty and administrators that have supported the development of the grass seed industry in the Roseau and Lake of the Woods region of Minnesota. Park Kentucky bluegrass was developed by H.L Thomas, a grass breeder in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. Carl Borgeson, Secretary of MCIA, worked with two grass seed producers, Gustav Kveen and Charles Habstritt, to evaluate the performance of Park Kentucky bluegrass in the Roseau environment, and found that it was an excellent seed producer. This discovery resulted in a rapid expansion of the grass seed industry in the region. The Agronomy and Plant Genetics Department heads, Herbert Johnson, Orvin Burnside, Kent Crookston, Burle Genenbach, Nancy Ehlke and Gary Muehlbauer, have provided the level of support for Laddie Elling, Nancy Ehlke, Donn Vellekson, and myself that was necessary to continue our work on the issues facing the grass seed industry over the last 60 years. The Horticultural Science Department heads also provided support for the turf grass breeding programs led by Don White and Eric Watkins that have and will continue to contribute to the long-term vitality of Minnesota’s grass seed industry. I also want to acknowledge the support of the Richard Magnusson Family, Marv Zutz, MDA personnel, and all of the members of the Northern Minnesota Grass Seed Producers organization that made it financially possible for University of Minnesota personnel to support the grass seed industry.
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Note: The above text has been lightly edited. MCIA also published an edited and condensed version of this text in the fall 2024 issue of the Minnesota Seed Grower.
Kernza Field Day at A-Frame Farm
As the first commercially available perennial grain crop in the US, Kernza perennial grain has the potential to change agriculture landscapes by providing valuable ecosystem services and new economic opportunities.
Carmen Fernholz of A-Frame Farm, has been growing Kernza since 2011. A-Frame Farm manager, Luke Peterson, started growing and marketing Kernza in 2018, and now manages 30+ acres of the UMN variety, MN-Clearwater.
This field tour is an opportunity for growers, processors, businesses, and others to learn more about Kernza and its environmental benefits and economic opportunities.
MCIA Presents Annual Awards
On January 13, 2021, Minnesota Crop Improvement Association presented its highest honor, the Achievement in Crop Improvement Award, to Dr. Don Wyse, Professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. The award, presented annually since 1972, recognizes exemplary service to the seed industry as well as outstanding leadership in agriculture. Dr. Wyse has made significant contributions to grass seed production and is a well-respected teacher, researcher, and leader.
MCIA also recognized four Premier Seedsman awardees, Bob Ehlers of Elbow Lake, Clyde Kringlen of McIntosh, and Dean Terning and Dennis Terning of Cokato. Each year since 1928, MCIA has presented this award to recognize individuals or partners involved in quality seed production, active in MCIA, and who provide excellent service to the seed industry. University of Minnesota research scientist Donn Vellekson and veteran MCIA field inspector Randy Krzmarzick were the recipients of MCIA’s Honorary Premier Seedsman Award, which recognizes individuals not directly involved in seed production but who have actively supported the seed industry, MCIA, and their local community. MCIA has presented this award annually since 1930.
The awards were presented at the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association’s 118th Annual Meeting. The virtual event was hosted at MCIA’s office in St. Paul, Minnesota, January 13, 2021.
Achievement in Crop Improvement Award
Dr. Don Wyse, University of Minnesota, professor and researcher, came to Minnesota in 1974 to accept a weed scientist position. The focus of his work quickly became quackgrass control in Kentucky bluegrass. Thus began a 45-year relationship with the grass seed producers in northern Minnesota. His work has been a key part in the success of the grass seed industry in Minnesota but has also benefited others in agriculture. He is a well-respected teacher, researcher, and leader. Don has taken the collaborative philosophy that helped the grass seed industry succeed and applied it to other initiatives in which he has been involved. Today, through the Forever Green Initiative, his work focuses on Kernza and other perennial and winter annual crops.
Read more about Dr. Wyse’s contributions to northern Minnesota’s grass seed industry here.
Premier Seedsman Awards
Bob Ehlers has been a certified seed producer for 45 years. Today he owns and operates Red River Marketing Company near Elbow Lake. His entry into the seed business was based on the belief that, “Good year or bad, farmers will need quality seed every year.” Today he grows certified wheat and soybean seed. With a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Minnesota, Bob built his own approved seed conditioning facility in 1994; he was also a partner in building a second seed facility in Thompson, North Dakota. Bob is an active MCIA member, serving as vice chair of the board of directors. He has also been active in various local organizations, including his church and area school board.
Clyde Kringlen has been associated with certified seed since he and his father purchased McIntosh Farm Service in 1981. Operating their MCIA-approved seed facility, he worked with local seed growers conditioning and selling certified wheat, oats, and barley. Over the years, Clyde developed a passion for wheat production and today manages wheat seed production for West Central Ag Services. He sees the value of wheat in the rotation and enjoys seeing the advancements being made in wheat production. Clyde has also served his community in a variety of ways including the McIntosh Fire and Rescue, St. Mary’s Church, and the Larry Sing golf tournament to support ALS research.
Dean and Dennis Terning, of Cokato, grew up in a seed corn producing family. They also grew certified seed of small grains and soybeans, conditioning it in a seed plant built by their father Ralph. The brothers did all the jobs necessary for seed production and learned the importance of quality. In 1985, Dean and Dennis began producing hybrid seed corn for their retail brand, Terning Seeds. Those first two hybrids have grown into a large-scale seed corn production operation. Today they can produce, harvest, and dry seed corn from over 6,000 acres. They continue to work with other local seed companies and say much of their success is due to great employees who take pride in producing high quality seed.
Honorary Premier Seedsman Awards
Donn Vellekson began working at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, in 1975. As a research scientist, his career has been devoted to turf grass and forage seed production research. He grew up on a crop and livestock farm near Dawson, Minnesota, and graduated from the University of Minnesota, Crookston. Initially, his work focused on Kentucky bluegrass, timothy, and birdsfoot trefoil. Much of Donn’s work is done at the Magnusson Research Farm near Roseau and today perennial ryegrass is a primary emphasis. Over the years, he has received great cooperation from farmers and seed processors in the Roseau and Lake of the Woods area. Donn’s work on fertility, herbicides, winter hardiness, and seed production has been instrumental in the success of the Minnesota grass seed industry.
Randy Krzmarzick has been a reliable MCIA field inspector for 22 years. From his home farm near Sleepy Eye, he has walked thousands of acres across southwest Minnesota. Inspecting fields of oats, wheat, soybeans, and occasionally corn, Randy is a key part of the seed certification process. Each field must be evaluated prior to harvest for varietal purity, other crops, and weeds. His part-time work provides him the opportunity to meet people from family-owned operations to multinational corporations. As someone who loves the outdoors, he enjoys walking fields and is proud to play a small part in seed production. Randy is also involved in the Brown County Farmers Union, St. Mary’s Church, and the Sleepy Eye area food shelf.