Two North Dakota State Seed Department managers were elected to leadership positions in their respective national organizations during recent annual meetings.

Steve Sebesta, State Seed Department deputy seed commissioner, was elected by the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) board of directors to serve as president. The election was held during the association’s meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Sebesta, who served as vice president last year, was re-elected by northern region directors to a third term on the board of directors in April. He has held numerous committee assignments in AOSCA since joining the Seed Department in 2003.

“It’s a great honor to be elected by my peers to serve as president of AOSCA,” Sebesta says. “I consider it a recognition of the strength of the seed certification program in North Dakota and our status as a leader in the industry.”

The North Dakota State Seed Department is the state’s designated authority for seed certification and the largest certification agency in the U.S. in terms of the number of acres in certified seed production.

Jeff Prischmann, State Seed Department diagnostic laboratory manager, was elected to the executive board of the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) at the association’s annual meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition, Prischmann holds leadership roles in several other AOSA committees dealing with cultivar purity and genetic testing.

“I believe our election to these positions is a recognition of the entire department’s success in providing services to the region’s seed industry rather than individual success or ability,” Sebesta says.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Aug. 17, 2012