Steve Sebesta has been named director of the North Dakota Foundation Seedstocks (NDFSS) program at North Dakota State University.

He will provide leadership of NDFSS in addition to his role as deputy commissioner of the North Dakota State Seed Department.

Sebesta assumed the director position under an agreement the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (NDAES) reached with the North Dakota State Seed Department.

“The certified seed industry in North Dakota is vital to the prosperity and advancement of the agriculture industry in the state,” Sebesta says. “I look forward to working with the NDSU breeders, NDAES staff and the entire Foundation Seed team. Providing the region’s seed producers with high-quality foundation class seed that delivers the genetic potential they expect when they purchase seed of an NDSU variety is our top priority.”

The NDFSS program provides genetically pure foundation seed to the state’s agriculture industry. Foundation seed has the highest level of genetic purity and is sown to produce the registered class. Seedsmen plant registered seed to produce certified seed, which is used to produce commercial grain. The production of adequate foundation seed is an important step in providing producers with improved varieties from NDSU plant breeding programs.

The NDFSS has seed production, conditioning and seed distribution operations throughout the state.

“Steve brings a tremendous wealth of experience and knowledge to the NDFSS program, having served in seed-related programs in NDFSS at NDSU, for the state of North Dakota in a regulatory capacity, and in the private sector,” says Ken Grafton, NDSU’s vice president for Agricultural Affairs, director of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and dean of the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources.

“I am sure he will use these experiences to build upon the great foundation that Dr. Dale Williams established during his long and successful tenure as director of NDFSS,” Grafton adds.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - June 13, 2017