Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
January 13, 2009
Ray McVicar, a community leader
and provincial pulse crop specialist, has been selected by the
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) as the 2008 BASF Pulse Promoter
of the Year. McVicar, who is the Manager of Crop Production
Technology with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, was
selected as the 2008 recipient for the many contributions he has
made to the Canadian pulse industry.
“We are pleased to announce Ray as this year’s award winner,”
says Garth Patterson, Executive Director of SPG. “Ray’s
contributions have helped advance the pulse and special crops
industry not only in Canada, but also around the world.”
McVicar was raised on his family’s livestock and grain farm near
Colonsay, Saskatchewan, and he obtained a Bachelor of Science in
Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan. After
university, Ray began his professional career in the crop
protection industry, where he developed new products with
Hoechst Canada, and later worked as a sales manager for Cyanamid
Canada.
Throughout his career, McVicar has been committed to developing
the Canadian pulse and special crops industry. He has served on
various pulse strategic planning committees, and his work with
pulses and special crops has taken him to places such as
Australia, China, India, Syria, Turkey and Bangladesh. Over the
years, he has submitted more than 20 minor or emergency use
registration requests for pulses and other crops. He now serves
as the provincial minor use coordinator.
McVicar is also very involved in the local community, where he
has served as a Cub Scout Leader, Community League Softball
Coach and as director of the Saskatchewan Institute of
Agrologists.
The annual Pulse Promoter award is sponsored by
BASF Canada, and is
presented at Pulse Days in Saskatoon each January. Mark
Kuchuran, Senior Technical Development Specialist for BASF
Canada who presented the award says, “Ray is very deserving of
this award. His fifteen-year involvement with numerous producer
organizations and work with pulse and special crops is a
testament to his passion for the pulse industry and for Western
Canadian agriculture.”
With sales of €3,137 million in 2007, BASF’s Crop Protection
division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to
the farming industry providing well-established and innovative
fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these
products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality.
Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control,
turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry.
BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The
vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s
leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving
nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing
world population. Further information can be found on the web at
www.agro.basf.com.
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical
Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals,
plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine
chemicals. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in
virtually all industries to be more successful. With its
high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an
important role in finding answers to global challenges such as
climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility.
BASF has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost
€58 billion in 2007. Further information on BASF is available on
the Internet at www.basf.com.
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