The Agricultural Education Foundation (AEF) is pleased to announce that Todd J. Collins of San Luis Obispo has been selected to participate in Class 34 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.  AEF is in business of developing leaders for the purpose of enhancing the long-term viability of California agriculture and the communities and people it serves. 

Todd resides in San Luis Obispo where he works as a sales representative for the Harris Moran Seed Company.  His experience in the vegetable market has allowed him to work with grower / shippers in San Joaquin Valley and Coastal California.  Some of the crops Todd works with are: watermelons, cantaloupes, lettuce, cauliflower, squash and fresh market tomatoes.  When asked what he expects to gain from the California Agricultural Leadership Program, Todd's response was, "Ag Leadership will help me become more confident and effective leader within the produce industry.  I am also looking to better my understanding of the factors that affect our industry such as politics and human nature."

Todd is a native of Grand Junction, Colorado.  His mother and father, Janet and Jay, moved him and his brother John to Salinas at a young age where they attended Salinas High School.  Upon graduation, Todd attended Hartnell College and then transferred to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where he received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Crop Science with a minor in Agribusiness.

Harris Moran is part of the largest independently owned seed company in the world. It is owned by Groupe Limagrain, a cooperative owned, run, and operated by farmers.

Harris Moran breeds innovative vegetable varieties designed to boost yield, reduce chemical inputs, and increase freshness, flavor and fruit quality from plow to plate. The Modesto, CA-company breeds vegetables for markets in more than 65 countries.

Senesco's technology delays browning in lettuce

New Brunswick, New Jersey and Modesto, California
May 5, 2003

Senesco Technologies, Inc. and its partner Harris Moran Seed Company announced today that they have reduced and delayed browning in cut lettuce using proprietary technology that slows the onset of cell death. This exclusive technology developed by Senesco was applied to iceberg and romaine lettuce, the most popular types in prepackaged salads. In field trials, both types of lettuce browned less, due to Senesco's proprietary gene technology which delays plant cell death, or senescence.

Bruce Galton, President and CEO of Senesco, explained the impact of delayed browning on the burgeoning packaged salad market, "Bagged salad sales exceeded $2 billion last year in the U.S. We believe that our technology, along with Harris Moran's expertise in developing seed varieties, will yield superior products that brown less."

Senesco's technology controls and limits the senescence by modulating the signals that trigger plant deterioration. This can ensure better product quality by reducing the damage caused by environmental stress, harvest, and handling. Senesco's technology yields these results without the addition of any foreign genetic material.

Along with less browning, the technology could lead to a wider variety of products within the bagged salad industry, according to Bill Murray, Harris Moran's lettuce product manager. "Controlling senescence could allow lettuce varieties that aren't currently marketed in the same bag to be more compatible -- that is, they wouldn't break down and brown so quickly when packed together. This new marketing flexibility could lead to different mixes, different colors, and new and different products," said Mr. Murray.

Further down the road, Murray believes that the technology could yield benefits to growers as well. Mr. Murray added, "This technology could mean a variety would require less water, less inputs, and more yield potential. New and improved products for both the grower and the consumer are our goals."

Harris Moran Seed Company is part of the largest independently owned seed company in the world. It is owned by Groupe Limagrain, a cooperative owned, run, and operated by farmers.

Harris Moran breeds innovative vegetable varieties designed to boost yield, reduce chemical inputs, and increase freshness, flavor and fruit quality from plow to plate. The Modesto, CA-based Company breeds vegetables for markets in more than 65 countries.

Senesco takes its name from the scientific term for the aging of plant cells: senescence. The Company has developed technology that regulates the onset of cell death. Delaying cell breakdown in plants extends freshness after harvesting, while increasing crop yields, plant size and resistance to environmental stress for flowers, fruits and vegetables. The Company believes that its technology can be used to develop superior strains of crops without any modification other than delaying natural plant senescence. Senesco has begun to explore ways to trigger or delay cell death in mammals (apoptosis) to determine if the technology is applicable in human medicine. Accelerating apoptosis may have applications to development of cancer treatments. Delaying apoptosis may have applications to certain diseases such as Alzheimer's, glaucoma, ischemia and arthritis, among others. Senesco partners with leading-edge companies and earns research and development fees for applying its gene-regulating platform technology to enhance its partners' products. Senesco is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and utilizes research laboratories at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada and the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado.

Harris Moran buys Premium Seed of Mexico, increases presence in Mexico market
(8 April 2003)

Harris Moran, part of the largest independently owned seed company in the world, has bought a leading Mexico seed distributor.

Harris Moran recently acquired Premium Seed, based in Mexicali, from its previous owner SeedWorks, a US-based company.

Bruno Carette, president and COO of Harris Moran, said the wholly owned subsidiary gives Harris Moran better visibility in the Mexican market.

"As our business South of the Border increases, we need a tangible presence in Mexico to conduct all facets of our business: research, sales, product development, shipping, distribution, and customer service," said Carette.

Enrique Pena, Harris Moran's sales manager in Mexico, said Premium Seed has the history, the contacts, the market knowledge and the infrastructure to become the next successful subsidiary of Harris Moran.

"What the merger does is marry the experience of Premium Seed with Harris Moran's strong reputation here. This union enables us to respond rapidly to our markets and to work closer with our dealers and customers."

The merger should have a positive effect on Harris Moran dealers in Mexico through a significant increase in R & D efforts in the markets they serve.

Ignacio Reyna, Premium Seed's General Manager, who will remain at the helm, said dealers will still be able to buy seed from the US - or now - from Mexico.

"There are always last-minute orders to fill," said Reyna. "An in-country subsidiary streamlines those distribution hurdles faced by dealers ordering seed from the US, especially rush orders. The result is better service."

The name of the new subsidiary will be Semillas Harris Moran.

The Premium Seed purchase illustrates Harris Moran's commitment to the Mexico market.

"Harris Moran is now in a stronger position than ever to be Mexico's most trusted source of innovative vegetable seed products," said Pena.

As a family member of Harris Moran, Semillas Harris Moran will carry the clout of Harris Moran and Groupe Limagrain.

Harris Moran is part of the largest independently owned seed company in the world. It is owned by Groupe Limagrain, a cooperative owned, run, and operated by farmers.

Harris Moran breeds innovative vegetable varieties designed to boost yield, reduce chemical inputs, and increase freshness, flavor and fruit quality from plow to plate. The Modesto, CA-company breeds vegetables for markets in more than 65 countries.

Harris Moran develops industry's first organic seed pellet - NatureCoat™ approved by organic testing group
(12 March 2003)

Harris Moran, part of the largest independently owned seed company in the world, has developed the industry's first seed pellet approved for organic vegetable production.

NatureCoat™, one of many seed coatings by Harris Moran, is the first organic pellet listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), an independent, non-profit organization.

"NatureCoat™ is the first truly organic seed pellet," said Dr. Keith Kubik, Harris Moran's seed technologist. "It contains no synthetically derived materials. Plus, it's durable, germination friendly, and flows easily through planters for the type of precision planting growers need."

Most seed pellets on the market contain one or more synthetically derived materials and cannot be used to grow organic crops, under new federal laws
enacted last year, said Kubik.

NatureCoat is offered in carrot, lettuce, and onion seed. Harris Moran is testing the pellet for tomato, pepper, broccoli, and cauliflower. These should reach the market within a year.

Tests show the quality of NatureCoat™ is comparable to non-organic pellets currently on the market. "Our NatureCoat for carrot averaged 220.3 plant stand in a 10-foot row, compared to 217 for a non-organic pellet," said Kubik.

The industry's first organic seed pellet illustrates the popularity of organic produce.

Once a fringe market spawned in the 60s, organic produce has become mainstream. Customer demand has increased dramatically in the past decade. Organic produce sales last year topped $5 billion.

"It's one of the fastest growing segments of the retail food sector," said Kubik. "Yet organic growers options were limited. We thought NatureCoat™ would be a welcomed product."

Harris Moran is part of the largest independently owned seed company in the world. It is owned by Groupe Limagrain, a cooperative owned, run, and operated by farmers.

Harris Moran breeds innovative vegetable varieties designed to boost yield, reduce chemical inputs, and increase freshness, flavor and fruit quality from plow to plate. The Modesto, CA-company breeds vegetables for markets in more than 65 countries.