Garst Seed Company recently announced the promotion of Dervin Druist to area agronomist for the company’s northeast region. Druist’s territory includes Virginia north through the New England states.

Druist will provide agronomic expertise, technical support and product information to growers in his territory. He will be based in Spring Run, Penn.

Prior to his promotion, Druist was a district sales manager in Pennsylvania and western Maryland for Garst, with double-digit sales growth each of the seven years he held this position. In 2005, he was named the district sales manager of the year for the entire company. He received the district sales manager of the year award for the east region in 2004, 2003, 2001 and 2000. Before joining Garst, Druist was a district sales manager at Chemgro Seeds, where he oversaw sales in Pennsylvania and western Maryland. Druist is a certified crop adviser.

“Dervin has an extensive agricultural background and brings expertise in production agriculture that will prove valuable to growers,” says John Pieper, eastern agronomy services manager for Garst. “He will be a tremendous asset in this new position.”

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. For more information about Garst products, contact your local Garst ProSeller or visit Garst’s Website at www.garstseed.com.

Garst Seed Company is affiliated with Syngenta, a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2005 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs more than 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT). Further information is available at www.syngenta.com.