Garst Seed Company officials announce the hiring of Brian Erdahl as a member of the expanded Garst/AgriPro soybean research and development team. Erdahl will be based at the company's
Brookston, Indiana research facility.

Erdahl has extensive background in soybean breeding with both a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degree in Plant and Soil Sciences from Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale, Illinois, with emphasis on soybean breeding and masters work on seed treatment use in soybeans.

During his undergrad studies, Erdahl worked with SIU's sudden death syndrome (SDS) research program and then the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) breeding program during his masters studies. Most recently, Erdahl was a research associate and assistant soybean breeder with Mycogen Seeds in Davenport, Iowa, where he was responsible for early generation breeding, specialty traits and many duties in the assistant breeder capacity.

"We are very excited to be adding someone with Erdahl's experience and background to our soybean research and breeding program," says Jeff Sernett, soybean product manager for Garst Seed Company. "Brian's education and career has given him an even greater perspective on the diseases and pests which we all deal with in the field. His new position with us is yet another
exciting step in our soybean research and development efforts, growing our soybean business and bringing the best possible soybean products to both our AgriPro Seeds and Garst customers."

Erdahl, his wife Janine, and infant son Benjamin have relocated to Lafayette, Indiana and are in the process of building a house in the area. Erdahl is originally from Rochelle, Illinois.

With corporate and research headquarters in Slater, Iowa, Garst Seed Company is the largest member of the Advanta group of companies and is a key component of an expansive worldwide Advanta seed technology network. That network includes research, development and breeding facilities in 13 U.S. states and in 12 countries around the globe. Thus, AgriPro, Garst and
their worldwide sister companies employ thousands of technical staff to advance plant breeding, genetics and seed production. Garst's late 1998 purchase of AgriPro Seeds included the AgriPro
Research facility located near Brookston, Indiana.

Company news release
N1799