Sakata Seed America Announces Contribution to the UC Davis Kent J. Bradford Endowment at Annual California Seed Association Convention
This morning, Sakata Seed America’s Senior Director of Sales and Marketing, John Nelson, announced a substantial contribution to the Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC) at UC Davis’ Kent J. Bradford Endowment initiative. The goal of the campaign is to raise $2.5 million in order to create the Kent J. Bradford Endowed Chair in Seed Science. Sakata has been a financial supporter of the SBC since its inception in 1999, and believes that “The CSA Convention is the perfect opportunity to make this announcement, as the CSA is comprised of many of our customers in California and Arizona who have been essential to the success of Sakata. What better time to announce Sakata’s dedication to the future of seed breeding, technology and the industry as a whole?” states Nelson.
The Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC), represents a collaboration between industry partners and UC Davis with the collective goal of providing advanced research, education, training and scientific information on seed issues and technologies. The SBC, founded and currently directed by Professor Kent Bradford, has organized and implemented such accomplishments as educational workshops, symposia and classes, over $13 million invested in research on seed genetics, genomics, breeding tools and technology, training of over 170 plant breeders in the industry and extensive research on key crops such as brassicas, carrots, lettuce, melon, pepper and tomato.
UC Davis is ranked #1 for Agricultural Science, and the SBC has educated many industry professionals, including Sakata personnel. Unfortunately, Professor Kent Bradford is set to retire in five years and current state budgets cannot fully support a replacement faculty member dedicated to seed science nor a new director for the SBC. It’s up to seed industry to come together to invest in this incredible program, which has nurtured so many industry professionals and helped shape and progress the future of the industry.
According to Dave Armstrong, President-CEO of Sakata Seed America, “This pledge is not solely an investment in the future of Sakata, but in the industry as a whole. As a long-standing leader in vegetable and flower breeding, it’s important to take the steps necessary to ensure the future prosperity of our industry. A contribution to this cause represents an important piece of our overall investments in the research, education and progress necessary to advance this dynamic trade.”
To learn more about the SBC, or to contribute to the Kent J. Bradford Endowment initiative, please visit: http://sbc.ucdavis.edu/About_US/An_Endowment_for_the_Future/