The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) honored seed industry ground breakers during its annual Leadership Summit this week in Sacramento.

This year, ASTA’s Heritage Award was presented to two worthy individuals: Dick Crowder and Bill Latham.

Crowder served as USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity Programs from 1989 to 1992 before becoming the Senior Vice President of DeKalb Genetics Corporation, then President and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association. He served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator from January 2006 to May 2007 in the Bush administration. Crowder is currently C.G. Thornhill Professor of Agricultural Trade at Virginia Tech.

Bill Latham (1941-2015), Latham Seed, Inc., was raised on a grain and livestock farm in north central Iowa. After service in the U.S. Marine Corp Reserve, Bill came home to the family seed business in 1966 where he became its president. He served as President of ASTA, as well as President of the Independent Professional Seed Association and the Iowa Seed Association. Bill and his wife Linda had two sons, John and Christopher, who, along with John’s wife Shannon, are now owners of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds.

ASTA’s Distinguished Service Award was presented to Donn Cummings, National Association of Plant Breeders. Cummings initiated the NAPB Borlaug Scholar’s Program and continues to serve as a mentor for dozens of students and aspiring plant breeders globally, currently serving as a Liaison between NAPB and ASTA.

ASTA’s Lifetime Honorary Member Award is one of the highest awards bestowed by the association and is in recognition of untiring service to ASTA, and this year’s award was given to Craig Newman, AgReliant Genetics/Finding Black Ink, LLC. As President and CEO of AgReliant Genetics Newman served as President of the Illinois Seed Dealers and Chairman of the ASTA Board of Directors.

The Seed Science Foundation’s Excellence in Science Award recognizes the outstanding achievement by a public or private researcher whose accomplishments have had an impact in the areas of Breeding Systems, Seed Quality, Seed Production and Technology, Seed Health and Pathology, Digital Agriculture, or Seed Applied Technology. This year’s award was given to Manjit Misra, Iowa State University/USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.