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September, 2001
New Florida sales repersentative for Harris Moran
Harris Moran Seed Company is pleased to announce that Bob
Conrad has joined the HM team as sales representative for South
Florida.
Conrad has more than 13 years of related experience in the
Sunshine State including six years actively farming peppers on
the family vegetable farm in Eastern Palm Beach County; four
years in sales for H.J. Heinz; and most recently, three years in
sales for Asgrow on Florida's Southwest coast.
Conrad's grassroots knowledge combined with his sales experience
and familiarity of Florida crops - peppers, tomatoes, corn, and
vine crops - make
him a welcomed addition at Harris Moran.
"I grew up on a Florida farm. You might say farming is in my
blood and I am thankful I have a chance to keep serving the
business I love," Conrad said.
In addition to his field expereince in agriculture, Conrad
serves on the Board of Ag Institute of Florida, is a graduate of
the Leadership Program for Agriculture and Natural Resources at
the University of Florida, as well as a 1985 graduate of the
University of South Florida in Tampa.
JUly, 2001
Bernie Hamel hires on at Harris Moran
Harris Moran Seed
Company is pleased to announce the addition of Bernie Hamel
as Director of Marketing.
Hamel will be responsible for worldwide marketing and
promotion of Harris Moran vegetable seed products.
Prior to coming to Harris Moran, Hamel worked at Seminis
where he held several positions, including marketing for the
Asgrow brand and more recently head of Produce Merchandising.
A native of Florida, Hamel also worked with the Florida
Tomato Committee as well as the Florida Fruit & Vegetable
Association. Prior to that, he managed a citrus and cattle
operation in Central Florida.
"We are looking forward to taking advantage of his experience
in developing and implementing scientific marketing tools and
practices in addition to leveraging marketing to enhance our
sales efforts and grow our business," said Matthew Johnston,
vice president of international sales and marketing.
May 2001
Harris Moran Seed Company and
Senesco Technologies, Inc. form partnership to commercialize anti-aging
technology in lettuce and melon
Harris
Moran Seed Company announced today that it has entered into an agreement
with Senesco Technologies, Inc. to
develop lettuce and melon varieties with Senesco’s exclusive anti-aging,
senescence control technology. This agreement provides Harris Moran
worldwide exclusivity in these crops.
Senesco technology controls and limits the
senescence or aging process by modulating the signals that trigger plant
deterioration. This can insure better product quality by reducing the damage
caused by environmental stress, harvest and handling.
"Not only does Senesco technology
represent a cutting-edge advance in the understanding of the whole plant
system, it applies this insight with the well established tools of plant
breeding using native lettuce and melon genes. Nothing else is added. We
believe all of our customers, from the grower to the ultimate boss - the
produce eating public, will readily accept seed varieties bred with these
traits. Because Senesco technology does not rely on transgenic or GMO
techniques, there are none of the concerns some associate with these
procedures. With Senesco’s technology, we step beyond that debate,"
said Jeff McElroy, Vice President of Research at Harris Moran.
Harris Moran’s first application of the
technology will be in lettuce. "Harris Moran has always had a strong
image in the Western lettuce business and we see this partnership as a way
to bring the future in lettuce breeding to all users and consumers of our
lettuce varieties. Our progress in breeding lettuce with multiple disease
resistance will soon be complimented by traits that the public will
appreciate such as better texture and a fresher product. Success will set a
new standard for the industry," added Matthew Johnston, Vice President
of Sales and Marketing at Harris Moran.
Working in conjunction with Senesco, Harris
Moran anticipates field tests of the new products as early as 2003. Jeff
McElroy points out, "This is a fast track program for the partners. We
know that 2003 is an aggressive schedule, but the unique features of Senesco’s
technology make this target very achievable."
"For the last 20 years, most of the
success stories in lettuce breeding has revolved around increasing yield and
field performance for a given type or market. While we expect these criteria
to remain an absolute must, we see downstream quality benefits such as
nutritional value, flavor and ease of use as being the real challenge for
the very sophisticated fresh-cut industry. We are committed to meeting this
challenge with the best tools available. Our partnership with Senesco is an
excellent example of melding traditional breeding with a technological
breakthrough to meet the increasing demand for consumer quality."
Senesco is a gene discovery company whose
mission is to enhance crop quality and productivity through the control of
senescence (aging) in plants, which results in longer shelf life, increased
yield, increased biomass and greater tolerance to environmental stress. The
company is based in Princeton, New Jersey.
Harris Moran Seed Company is part of the
largest and oldest independently owned seed company in the world. It is
owned by Groupe Limagrain, a French cooperative owned, run, and operated by
French farmers whose sole business is agriculture. Harris Moran breeds
innovative vegetable varieties designed to boost yield, reduce chemical
inputs, and increase flavor and fruit quality from plow to plate. The
Modesto, California based company breeds improved vegetable seed varieties
for markets in more than 65 countries.
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