Growmark has announced two employee promotions in its agronomy division. Effective Dec. 1, 2009, Jeff Lynch will rotate from his current position as manager, facility operations, to agronomy business manager. This expands the agronomy business management function to include sales and facility administrative support responsibilities. Effective on the same date, Jim Kelly will expand his role beyond business development projects to include leadership of facility operations and staff.
Dasco Inc., Monument, Colo., has recently added Mark Miller as area sales manager for Iowa and Nebraska. A graduate of North Dakota University with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics, he brings 27 years of experience in sales from companies such as Bayer CropScience and Rosen’s Inc.
Peter Rummel, head of sales, Fertilizer Europe for K+S Kali GmbH in Kassel, Germany, retired Nov. 30 after over 40 years within K+S, with stations in Hanover, Vienna, New York, and Cologne. K+S noted that his expertise in the field of fertilizer markets, particularly in sales, is internationally respected and held in the highest regard throughout the company.
As of Dec. 1, Hans-Jürgen Müller assumed the responsibility for sales, fertilizer Europe. He started at K+S in 1984 and has held several positions within the company, including as head of sales, Fertilizer Germany, since 1995.
The change of personnel responsibilities is a result of re-organization to incorporate the German fertilizer sales within the European department. Cornelia Schröter will be responsible for fertilizer sales for Fertilizer Germany as of Dec. 1. Schröter has been active since 1978 in the German potash industry in several functions, and was previously responsible for worldwide product marketing.
The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) has named Dr. J. K. Ladha as the winner of the 2009 IPNI Science Award. Dr. Ladha is a senior soil scientist, coordinator of the Rice-Wheat Consortium in Asia, and a representative of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in India. He receives a special plaque plus a monetary award of US$5,000.
Born in Gwalior, India, Dr. Ladha earned his Ph.D. in Botany from Banaras Hindu University in 1976. He earned his B.Sc. in Biological Sciences in 1971 and his M.Sc. in Botany in 1975 at Jiwaji University in India. He has devoted nearly 30 years of his career to working in the area of integrated resource management, with strong emphasis on soil fertility and nutrient management for achieving increased crop yields. Dr. Ladha has been an associate in the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of California-Davis since 2002. He was a “Frosty” Hill Fellow at Cornell University from July 2007 to June 2008, and an adjunct professor of Soil Science at the University of the Philippines (1990 to 2004).