Great Lakes Hybrids, a national seed corn company based in Ovid, Michigan, has named Dr. Guenter Seitz as Director of corn research in North America.

"Guenter's experience in the industry is extremely valuable, and he is a great asset to our team as we move forward," said Great Lakes Hybrids President, Mike Stephenson.

Seitz, a Chatham, Illinois resident, received his Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Hohenheim, Germany. He also worked there as an assistant professor in the Institute of Population Genetics for seven years. Later, he worked at Iowa State University with Dr. Hallauer, one of the most renowned corn breeders in the world.

For the past three years, Seitz has served as senior research scientist with Asgrow Seed Company and the Monsanto Global Seed Group in Stonington, Illinois. Seitz, his wife Iris, and their four children, will relocate within the year.

Great Lakes Hybrids is affiliated with KWS Seeds AG in Germany, a seed-only company, and has research stations in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Puerto Rico. This strong, proven research program has been able to produce top performing conventional genetics for incorporation of the new transgenic traits. The company has also produced more National Corn Growers Association's Corn Yield Contest winners per entry in the 1990s than any other company in the Midwest.

Company news release
N2224