Garst Seed Company recently announced the hiring of three district sales managers and one agronomist.

“Garst is pleased to make this latest announcement about these four individuals. Their expertise and experience in the seed industry will, no doubt, help Garst strengthen its reputation among customers for providing quality service and agronomic advice,” says Gene Kassmeyer, sales manager of the eastern division sales for Garst.

Jay Springer, Don Eckhoff and Jeff Trimble were recently named as district sales managers for Garst. They will be responsible for helping Garst dealers build sales.

Springer, who is located in Columbia, Mo., will cover east central Missouri. Prior to joining Garst, Springer was a full-time farmer. Springer received his bachelor’s degree in technical systems management from the University of Illinois.

Eckhoff is the new district sales manager for southwest Ohio. Previously, he was with AgriPro Wheat, where he was a regional business manager for the upper Midwest for 17 years. Eckhoff will be based in the Dayton, Ohio, area. Eckhoff received his bachelor’s degree in administration from Central Missouri State University.

Trimble joins Garst’s southwestern Indiana area after 17 years as branch manager and marketing agronomist with the Growers Co-op in Carlisle and New Lebanon, Ind. He will be based in Carlisle, Ind.

Dennis Jones recently joined Garst as an agronomist covering North and South Carolina, Georgia, and southern Alabama. Prior to joining the company, Jones was a farm service manager with the Monsanto Company and a district sales manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred International. He will be based in Ellaville, Ga. Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgia Southwestern State University.

Garst Seed Company, with headquarters in Slater, Iowa, provides seed solutions for growers across North America with high yielding corn, soybean, sorghum, alfalfa and sunflower products.

Garst Seed Company is affiliated with Syngenta, a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. Syngenta is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2004 were approximately $7.3 billion. Syngenta employs some 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT).