Delta and Pine Land Company announced that two long-time employees will be assuming additional responsibility as part of the technical services leadership transition which began last month. Tom Speed, currently regional technical services director for the High Plains, will assume responsibility for Arizona, California and Mexico.  Jim Bosch, who has held a local field agronomist role in South Texas, will become regional agronomy manager for Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas (all areas except the High Plains).   These new roles are effective July 1.  Ken Lege remains the regional technical services director for the southeastern U.S., which is comprised of the eight states east of the Mississippi River.

Tom Speed has worked with the company's technical services team since 1995 based in Lubbock, Texas.   

"At one time, people outside of Texas viewed the High Plains as a uniform production area but the market has learned what Tom's known for a long time - there is significant variation in production systems and environments there," according to Dave Albers who is transitioning into the position of vice president of technical services.  "Tom has the experience of working with growers and others at D&PL to find products that perform well in diverse - and sometimes adverse - conditions.  He has worked with virtually all of our upland varieties as well as Pimas, which will enable him to make immediate contributions in the far west."

Jim Bosch joined D&PL in 1997 as the Texas agronomist for the Sure-Grow product line.  Later, as D&PL combined multiple brands under one technical services team, he narrowed his area to South Texas and the Coastal Bend. 

"Jim has focused on southern Texas as that part of the cotton industry has faced incredible challenges," Albers explains.  "He has a great understanding of the agronomic issues growers face as well as the business drivers for our customers and the company.  With his team approach, he is a natural manager who will keep his group of agronomists in tune with customers and the industry.  Jim will continue primary field agronomy responsibility in his current South Texas area."  

Speed earned a master's degree in crop science from Texas Tech University after his bachelor's degree in animal production from Brigham Young University (Utah).  Dan Krieg served as advisor on Speed's thesis, "Genetic and Environmental Influences on Cold Tolerance of Cotton Seed Germination."  Speed has presented numerous papers during the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, including the introduction of DP 445 BG/RR, DP 454 BG/RR and DP 455 BG/RR at the 2006 meeting.

Bosch has a master's degree in business administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio, a master's degree in agricultural economics and a bachelor's degree in animal science from Texas A&M University.  While studying for his masters at Texas A&M, he worked with cotton specialist James Supak. 

Delta and Pine Land Company is a leading commercial breeder, producer and marketer of cotton planting seed. Headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, with multiple offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries, D&PL also breeds, produces and markets soybean planting seed in the U.S.