Urbandale, Iowa
December 22, 2008
 The
Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) honored Dr. Walter R. Fehr
with the association’s first Lifetime Achievement Award at ISA’s
annual policy conference and 45th anniversary kickoff in Ames on
Dec. 19.
John Heisdorffer, ISA president and a soybean farmer from Keota,
made the presentation, recognizing Fehr for his contribution to
soybean plant breeding. “ISA very happy to present Dr. Fehr with
our first lifetime achievement award” Heisdorffer said. “We’ve
worked with Walt for many years, and we appreciate his tireless
work for soybean farmers and his visionary leadership in soybean
research.”
Dr. Fehr came to Iowa State University (ISU) in 1964, the year
that ISA was begun. He is a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished
Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the highest academic
honor at ISU, and he teaches and conducts research in plant
breeding, specializing in soybean breeding and genetics, in the
Department of Agronomy.
Dr. Fehr has been a long-time friend of the Iowa Soybean
Association. ISA CEO Kirk Leeds noted, “Dr. Fehr has received
checkoff funding for his soybean research since the inception of
the soybean checkoff 37 years ago.”
Since then, Leeds said, Dr. Fehr has developed an extremely
innovative plant breeding program that utilizes traditional
plant breeding methods along with biotechnology to enhance the
genetic traits of soybeans. In the past two decades he has
focused on the discovery and development of novel traits to
improve soybean yield and enhance quality.
Dr. Fehr’s research has produced more than 200 food grade
soybean varieties that are grown in Iowa and throughout the U.S.
The soybeans are sold at a premium price and marketed throughout
the world. He was also the first to develop heart-healthy
soybeans that contain no trans fat.
During his career, Dr. Fehr has also directed 77 graduate
student programs, and many of those graduates are now soybean
breeders in public and private plant breeding programs
throughout the United States.
In addition to his other responsibilities, Fehr is the director
of the ISU Office of Biotechnology, which assists departments
with the hiring of biotechnology faculty, provides graduate
fellowships for outstanding students, operates state-of-the-art
instrumentation facilities for research, conducts an innovative
education program for K-12 teachers and Extension personnel,
coordinates technology transfer with industry and supports an
active bioethics program.
Recalling all of Fehr’s accomplishments, Leeds said, “We at the
Iowa Soybean Association are proud to have had the opportunity
to have such a long working relationship with Dr. Fehr.”
ISU President Gregory Geoffroy was on hand to congratulate Fehr,
calling him “one of the great faculty at ISU, having the highest
title in the department.”
“Dr. Fehr is a lead researcher in the industry and a great
educator,” Geoffroy said. “He is also a great ISU citizen. In
directing the ISU biotechnology program, he unselfishly promotes
biotechnology and the careers of fellow researchers.”
For Dr. Fehr, the recognition led him to recall that his work
with soybeans and ISA has truly been “a family affair,” noting
that his children grew up with the soybean association and with
soybeans. “The entire family got involved in helping with
soybean work in the field, and our family vacation destinations
were wherever there was a soybean conference being held.”
“One of the most significant developments during the years has
been the checkoff,” Fehr said. He recalled that the checkoff
enabled research to become mechanized and less labor intensive.
It also made research in South Amercia possible so that new
varieties could be developed in six years, rather than 15. The
checkoff has made information available to the public regarding
the management of disease, for instance, and it also made
possible the internship of 250 students, many of whom are now
experts in the industry.
Referring to research in food grade soy, Dr. Fehr, said, “All
roads lead back to ISU.”
Certainly, that is a legacy that can be credited, in large part,
to Dr. Fehr and helps make him a deserving recipient of ISA’s
first Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Iowa Soybean
Association develops policies and programs that help farmers
expand profit opportunities while promoting environmentally
sensitive production using the soybean checkoff and other
resources. The Association is governed by an elected volunteer
board of 21 farmers.
Photo credit: Iowa State University |
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