Scholarships and Recognitions Highlighted at Annua...

This year, seven $1,000 “Iowa Seed Scholarships” are awarded. One of these students is also selected as the “Manjit Misra Outstanding Senior Scholar,” and will receive $500 in addition to the $1,000 seed scholarship.

Bill Latham Memorial Scholarship

For the fifth year, the ISA will also award the $1,000 “Bill Latham” Memorial Scholarship in his honor. Bill was a former president of the Iowa Seed Association, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), the Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA), and was a former President of his family company, Latham Seed. Bill passed away in 2015.

Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Memorial Scholarship

For the fourth time, the “Lisa Shepherd Jenkins” Memorial Scholarship is awarded by the ISU Seed Science Center to an undergraduate student engaged in seed science and seed technology. The $1,000 scholarship honors Lisa who served as Seed Health Testing Coordinator for the Seed Science Center and as Co-Director of the Administrative Unit of the National Seed Health System. Lisa headed one of the most active phytosanitary seed testing programs in the country and served as a chair on committees for both the American Seed Trade Association and the American Phytopathological Society. Lisa passed away in 2015.

Iowa Seed Association Scholarships

Louis Burton
Rogers, Minnesota
Son of Chad and Lisa Burton
He is a junior in agricultural business. Louis works at the ISU Seed Science Center where he has developed an interest in the seed business. He has completed internships at Domnick Seeds (a Dekalb Asgrow dealership) in western Minnesota, and CHS Co-op, also in western Minnesota. He hopes to work as a sales agronomist after graduation with the opportunity to work with farmers on a day-to-day basis. Louis has been on the dean’s list four of the five semesters he has attended Iowa State. He is also a member of the Agricultural Business Club.

Madeline Frischmeyer
Reinbeck, Iowa
Daughter of Chris and Julie Frischmeyer
Madeline is a junior in Agronomy with a Seed Science secondary major. Madeline has spent time working at Pioneer and Heartland and will be doing field-exploration this summer with Syngenta as a corn production intern. Madeline is actively involved in the ISU Farm Operations Club, where she has served as secretary and volunteers to help her fellow students who have special needs. She has received two academic scholarships based on her GPA of 3.7 or above and has been awarded recognition on the Dean’s list. She says she is interested in the field of seed science because she knows it is a field where her education will never stop.

Malcolm St. Cyr
Washington, DC.
Son of Donna Tracey and Alioune Badara M’Backe’
He is a freshman in Agronomy. Malcolm grew up in Senegal, West Africa in a farming community. Malcolm worked as a farm laborer for 10 years where he watched the impact that limited food yields have on an entire community. This experience has fueled his interest in Agronomy. He says seeds, along with soil are the foundation of agricultural sciences. He is an APEX Scholar and was selected to attend the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences Conference last semester. He is actively involved in several campus organizations and will be presenting at two conferences over the next year. Malcolm says he is interested in the science applied to seed selection, breeding, and the seed industry. He hopes to someday help the community he grew up in, as well as assist with solving international and regional food quality, security, and systems problems.

Haley Stahl
Marshalltown, Iowa
Daughter of Jon and Julie Stahl
She is a junior in Agronomy with a Seed Science secondary major. Haley studies in agronomy strongly emphasize seed science, crop development and funding, and management decisions and considerations within the seed industry. She has spent a considerable amount of time studying and identifying multiple varieties of seeds and plants, impacts on yield, and the genetics behind producing grain. She is an active member of the Agronomy Club and has worked as a research assistant and research intern for Beck’s Hybrids. She says these experiences have enabled her to utilize her classroom knowledge in a practical setting. She also plans to eventually pursue a graduate degree in seed science. In the future, she hopes to develop new ways to help the seed industry succeed and work to develop seed technologies to help plant breeders create better lines.
Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Scholarship

Brandyn Chapman
Ames, Iowa
Brandyn previously received his B.S. in agricultural studies and has returned to school to earn another degree in Horticulture. Brandyn started working at the Iowa State University Seed Science Center in the fall of 2012 as a student. Post-graduation in 2015 he served as production management supervisor trainee at Remington Seeds in Hastings Minnesota. After completion of that program, he decided to return to Iowa State University, and eventually to the Seed Science Center where he has been for three years working as a Seed Analyst III. He volunteers his time assisting Dr. Susana Goggi with her Agronomy 338 lab every fall semester. He says hopes to someday be in a student advising position which involves teaching opportunities. Whether it is in the lab, or in the field, or in the classroom, Brandyn has a robust love and passion for plant science.

Bill Latham Memorial Scholarship
Erin Stichter
Erie, Illinois
Daughter of Brandon and Casey Stichter
She is a junior in Agronomy. Erin has interned in seed corn production at Wyffel’s Hybrids where she experienced production of seed corn, field operations, bulk seed processing, warehousing, and distribution. She also works in the ISU soybean breeding research lab where she has gained insight on the development of new seed genetics. Erin served as a delegate to the National American Society of Agronomy – Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences conference just this past November where her research, based on assessing the potential for soybean yield improvement through plant architectural modification, achieved second place in the National Darrel S. Metcalfe Journalism Contest. She says this experience is a prime example of the outstanding opportunities Iowa State offers to supplement education and learning in and out of the classroom environment.

Manjit Misra Outstanding Senior Award & Iowa Seed Association Scholarship
Eric Heick
West Branch, Iowa
Son and Russell Heick
Eric is senior in Agronomy. Last year he received the Bill Latham Memorial Scholarship. Eric works at the Seed Science Center with Alan Gaul which he says has confirmed his interest in seed conditioning. He has also interned with Syngenta Parent Seed in Slater where he assisted with planting, standing counts, and detasseling. He has been on the ISU Dean’s list from the fall of 2017 to the fall of 2019, a member of the University Honors Program, served as secretary of the Ag Markets Club, and a member of the Agronomy Club. His goal is to graduate debt-free with a double major in agronomy and seed science in just 4 years. He would like to work in Seed Corn Production and is considering attending graduate school.

Scholarships and Recognitions Highlighted at Annua...

Iowa State University Iowa Seed Association Scholarships Recipients Recognized at 2019 Annual Meeting and Luncheon

Eleven scholarships were given to ten Iowa State University (ISU) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) students at the 2019 Agribusiness Showcase & Conference on February 13, in Des Moines, Iowa.  Eight Iowa Seed Association (ISA) Scholarships of $1,000 each were awarded. One of ISA awarded students were selected as the Manjit Misra Outstanding Senior Scholar and received an additional $500 scholarship. The $1,000 Bill Latham Memorial Scholarship and the $1,000 Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Memorial Scholarship were also awarded at the ISA ceremony.

This ISA scholarship competition is awarded based on academic excellence, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and interest in a career in the seed industry or seed science.

2019 Scholarship Recipients

1. Karli Buckmeier is from Saint Michael, Minnesota and is a senior in Agricultural Systems Technology with an emphasis in Machine Systems.  She is an undergraduate student assistant at the ISU Seed Testing Laboratory, where she receives samples from customers, processes and records them into the computer system, both before and after testing is completed.
2. Caryn Dawson is from Palmer, Iowa and is a junior with a double major in Global Resource Systems and Horticulture with a double minor in Animal Science and Spanish.  She is an undergraduate student assistant at the ISU Seed Laboratory working on seed germination projects.
3. Daniel Korhonen is from Radcliffe, Iowa and a senior with a double major in Agronomy and Seed Science. He has worked as a lab assistant in the ISU agronomy, soils, and organic crops labs, as a crop scout at Central Ag Consulting in Valley City, North Dakota, and in warehouse worker for Champion Seeds of Iowa.  Upon graduation, he would like to work alongside farmers as an agronomist for a seed company or as a crop consultant.
4. Chee Gang Ngui is a student from Puchong, Malaysia and a senior with a double major in Horticulture (food crop production and management) and Seed Science and a minor in Food Science and Industry.    He has worked as an undergraduate research assistant in fruit crops in Dr. Cochran’s lab, and as a field inspector for Bayer, in Iowa.
5. Rachel Nordhoff is from Boone, Iowa and a junior with a double major in Agricultural Studies and Agronomy. After meeting ISU Seed Science Center employees at a farm expo, she decided to apply for an undergraduate assistant position at the lab.  She says that the job was a career-changing experience.  She would like the opportunity to complete summer internships in the seed industry and find a job in seed and agronomy sales upon graduation.
6. Regan Pleggenkuhle is from Waucoma, Iowa and a sophomore with a double major in Agronomy and Seed Science.  He grew up on his family farm where he was involved in all aspects of the row crop and hog farming operation. It was his childhood experience which forged his interest in agriculture as a career.
7. Tucker Gabriel is from Eudora, Kansas and a senior in Agricultural Engineering with a minor in Ag Business.  He is an undergraduate student research assistant at FloMetrix where he tests seed flow sensors and the measurement repeatability for the company.
8. Michael Geissinger is from Marshfield, Wisconsin and a senior with a double major in Agronomy and Animal Science.  His interests in seeds stems from widely diverse job opportunities in the seed industry, from sales to genetics, and from research to technology transfer.

Manjit Misra Outstanding Senior Scholar

Michael Geissinger is also the recipient of the 2019 Manjit Misra Outstanding Senior Scholar $500 Scholarship. In his application, he states: “The key to feed 9.6 billion people in 2050 will be understanding the physiology of the seed and maximizing its potential to be grown into harvestable crops that can be used for (food), feed, fuel, and fiber”

He completed internships as forage management at WinField-United in Wisconsin and as Seed Sales rep in Ohio, and has worked as undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Singh’s soybean breeding program, and as Agronomy Intern at the Agricultural Research Station of the UW-Madison in Stratford, WI.

He received the American FFA Degree, Wisconsin FFA Star in Ag Business awards, and ISU Agronomy Academic fellowship; and was elected National SASES member relations officer.  He is also Vice President of the ISU Agronomy club.

He seeks a career as a district seed sales manager specialized in alfalfa seed.  He believes his diversified academic and internships background makes him uniquely qualified to attack the complex seed problems and their relation to food and feed.

Bill Latham Memorial Scholarship

Eric Heick was chosen as the 2019 recipient of the 4^th annual Bill Latham Memorial Scholarship for $1,000. Heick is from West Branch, Iowa and a junior pursuing a double major in Agronomy and Seed Science. He is interested in a career in the areas of seed genetics and seed conditioning. He is an undergraduate student assistant in Alan Gaul’s seed conditioning program at the Seed Science Center.

Latham was a former president of the Iowa Seed Association, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), and the Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA).  He was also the former president of his family company, Latham Seed.  Bill passed away on July 31, 2015.

Lisa Shepard Jenkins Memorial Scholarship

Yee Shuan Lai from Malaysia was chosen as the third annual Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Scholar.  Yee is a senior in Ecology and currently works at the ISU Seed Testing laboratory as an undergraduate assistant in germination and seed health testing.

She also works as a research assistant in Arabidopsis haploid induction at Dr. Lübberstedt laboratory in Agronomy Hall.  She plans to pursue a master’s degree in seed science.  The $1,000 Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Memorial Scholarship is awarded by the ISU Seed Science Center to an undergraduate student engaged in seed science and seed technology.

Shepherd Jenkins served as Seed Health Testing Coordinator for the Seed Science Center and as Director of the Administrative Unit of the National Seed Health System. She also headed one of the most active phytosanitary seed testing programs in the country and served as a chair on committees for both the American Seed Trade Association and the American Phytopathological Society.

Lisa passed away on July 1, 2015.

About the Seed Science Scholarships

This scholarship competition is open to students in any major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Iowa State University, and scholarships are awarded on the bases of four criteria:

1. Academic excellence,
2. Leadership skills,
3. Interpersonal skills, and most importantly,
4. Demonstrated interest in a career in the seed industry or seed science.

Selection Committee members include:

Dr. Barb Clawson, Horticulture

Dr. Mark Gleason, Plant Pathology & Microbiology

Dr. Tom Brumm, Ag. & Biosystems Eng.

Dr. Susana Goggi, Agronomy & Seed Science Center, & Committee Chair

View more photos on the Iowa Seed Facebook page

 

Download 2019 ISA Scholarship handout from the event.

Iowa Seed Forum & ISA Annual Meeting

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

 

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

PRE-REGISTRATION – $100*
ON-SITE REGISTRATION – $125*

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

 

2019 Registration Includes:

• Two-Day Admission to the 2019 Agribusiness Showcase & Conference & admission to the trade show floor
• Admission to the All Industry Reception on Tuesday, February 12
• Admission to all free educational sessions Wednesday, February 13
• Pancake breakfast on Wednesday, February 13 – exclusive raffle ticket
• All Industry Luncheon on Wednesday, February 13

The Iowa Seed Association continues their partnership with the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference offering ISA members the opportunity to attend a wider variety of workshops and network with all facets of the ag industry. The ISA Annual Meeting & Seed Forum will be held on Wednesday, February 13, from 9 am to Noon. ISA Annual Meeting & Seed Forum will also host the ISA Scholarship Award Recognition Ceremony and an Amazon Echo Raffle (must be present to win).

Meeting Agenda:

9:00 – 9:15 a.m. 
Morning Plenary Session – Room D
– Keynote Speaker: Iowa Dep. Sec. of Ag Julie Kenney

9:10 – 11:00 AM
Identifying Resources in Conservation Planning
– TBA, Conservation Information Technology Center

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. 
ISA Annual Meeting – Room A
− Jim Webster, ISA President
− Recognition of ISA 2019 Honorary Member
Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crop Initiative Project Update
− Shannon Moeller, ISA Project Coordinator

11:15 – 11:30 a.m. 
ASTA Update
− John Latham, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, President

11:30 a.m.  – Noon 
Quality Seeds to Feed the World: ISU’s role in serving the seed industry in Iowa and worldwide
− Dr. Manjit Misra, Seed Science Center – ISU, Director

Noon 
– (1) Amazon Echo Raffle

Noon – 1:30 p.m.
All Industry Luncheon on Showcase Floor
-Keynote Speaker: Daniel Robinson, Dean, Iowa State University – College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (invited)
ISU Scholarship Recognition
-2018-2019 Iowa Seed Association ISU Scholarships &
– Bill Latham ISU Scholarship recipients recognized

2015-2014 Scholarship Recipient Recognition

The Iowa Seed Association (ISA) recently awarded eight scholarships of $1,000 to students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. One student was also selected as the “Manjit K. Misra Outstanding Senior Seed Scholar,” receiving a $500 scholarship in addition to the $1,000 scholarship sponsored by the ISA. One student also received an award from the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).

During the awards ceremony held at the Agribusiness Showcase and Conference on February 11, 2015 at the Varied Industries Building, Susana Goggi, Seed Paysiologist, Dpt of Agronomy, ISU read bios, accomplishments, and goals of each student.

Recipients of the ISA 2014-2015 academic year scholarships are : Jeffery Barnes, Hillary Kletscher, Katharina Wigg, Madison Schulte, Lucas Roberts, Morgan Shrader, and Catherine Leafstedt.

Kathryn Hoemann received the ISA and the Manjit Misra Outstanding Senior Scholarship. Brandon Miller was the ASTA scholarship recipient.

The ISA scholarships are open to students in any major in ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Scholarships are awarded on the bases of: academic excellence, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and most important to the selection committee, a demonstrated interest in a career in the seed industry or seed science.

Also Pictured below are: Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey, far right, Susana Goggi, second from right, Max Smith, AAI Chairman, far left, and Manjit K. Misra, ISA Director, 2nd from left.

Congratulations to all these students!