Ames, Iowa
June 27, 2007
Jim Rouse has been named the
interim director of the Iowa Crop Improvement Association.
The nonprofit Iowa
Crop Improvement Association is the official seed certifying
agency for the state of Iowa, with headquarters in the
Department of Agronomy at Iowa
State University.
On July 1, Rouse will assume the responsibilities of Del Koch,
who is retiring from the position after four years. Koch will
continue to serve as the executive director of the Committee for
Agricultural Development, a nonprofit affiliate organization of
Iowa State.
Rouse, a native of Ayrshire, Iowa, has been project leader for
the association’s Iowa Crop Performance Tests since 2005. Each
year the tests measure yields of hundreds of varieties of corn
and soybeans in multiple locations around Iowa to help growers
identify high-performance lines. Tests also are conducted on
alfalfa and small grain crops.
Rouse was a graduate research assistant in Iowa State
University’s corn breeding program from 2001 to 2004. From 1995
to 2001, he worked in the commercial seed industry. He earned a
Ph.D. in plant breeding and a master’s degree in entomology,
both at ISU.
The Iowa Crop Improvement Association’s mission is to provide an
unbiased source of service and education in production and
quality assurance for Iowa agricultural crops. Founded in 1902,
the association has provided seed production and crop
performance testing services for 87 years. The association’s
membership is composed of farmers, seed producers and others
interested in crop improvement. Lee Huey of Ames currently is
president of the nine-member board of directors. The Iowa Crop
Improvement Association supports the Iowa State University Crops
Team, sponsors the Iowa FFA Agronomy Career Development event,
offers a summer internship program and awards five annual
scholarships to ISU undergraduates. |
|
