Two individuals were honored for their distinguished service to the seed industry at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting last week.
June Blalock retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in April of this year, after having served as the technology licensing program coordinator in the ARS Office of Technology Transfer for more than years. Her responsibilities included managing all aspects of USDA’s intellectual property licensing program and developing and implementing USDA’s licensing policies and practices.
Presenting the award, outgoing ASTA chairman Craig Newman highlighted Blalock’s work in the negotiations on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and her service on the Plant Variety Protection Advisory Committee, which he called “an invaluable asset to the seed industry.”
Rick Falconer, managing director of Rijk Zwaan USA, was honored for his leadership in several agricultural organizations. Zwaan served as past president for the California Seed Association and past chairman of ASTA’s Organic Seed Committee, Permanent Seed Research Fund and Vegetable and Flower Seed Division, and he also currently serves as acting chair. Falconer is a board member of the American Seed Research Foundation and the First-the Seed Foundation.