JULY 2019 GERMINATION.CA 49 Brenda Trask IF YOU’VE MADE GREAT MEMO- RIES AT A MAJOR SEED INDUSTRY EVENT, YOU PROBABLY HAVE BRENDA TRASK TO THANK. Brenda is the national commu- nications manager for SeCan based in Ottawa, Ont. On any given day she might be busy creating a print ad, directing a radio commercial, organizing a photo shoot, editing a news release, working with members on co-promotion, developing a brochure or planning an event or farm show display. She works closely with seven market- ing reps based across the country whose objective is to help SeCan members and Canadian farmers be more successful. After graduating in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph, she worked for the Farm Credit Corporation, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and Pride Seeds. She started her communications consulting company in 1991. As president of Brenda Trask & Associates, her areas of exper- tise include special events/conference management, advertis- ing, public relations and fundraising. Planning and making events memorable is also one of her specialties. She worked with the Canadian Seed Trade Association to manage the International Seed Federation’s World Seed Congress 2010 in Calgary, Alta. and recently has coordinated wheat/fusarium head blight symposiums on behalf of industry and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada. ROBERTSON ASSOCIATE AWARD Les Trowell LES WAS BORN INTO THE SEED BUSINESS. He’s a third-generation seed grower, with his grandfather beginning seed production 98 years ago in 1921. Les married Wendy in December 1972 and he began growing seed in 1974 with his father Johnny, and on his own in 1976, becoming a Select grower shortly after that. In 1975, Les built his own seed processing facility. The farm currently produces pedigreed wheat, oats, barley, peas and flax. In January of 2005, Les was elected a director to the Saskatchewan Seed Growers Association and was elected president in 2011 for two years. In 2006, he was asked to sit on the board of directors for the Canadian Seed Institute and is currently past president of CSI. In October 2005, he was elected as Division 4 councillor in the Rural Municipality of Saltcoats. In 2009, Les — along with the late Tim Charabin — formed T & L Seeds. HONORARY LIFE AWARD WINNERS Patricia Rothenburger ALTHOUGHPATRICIAWAS BORNACITYGIRL,SHEHAS ALWAYSHADALOVEFOR AGRICULTURE. Patricia was born and raised in Winnipeg, Man. Upon comple- tion of her MSc degree, Patricia worked as research and product development manager at Canterra Seeds. In 2004, Patricia returned to the University of Manitoba and Minnesota to obtain her PhD in wheat breeding and molecular pathology. Her research focused on mapping fusarium head blight and adult leaf rust resistance genes in spring wheat. Patricia successfully mapped and named the first two fusarium head blight resistance genes — Fhb1 and Fhb2 — which are currently being used as part of marker-assisted breeding programs worldwide. While working at Canterra Seeds, she met and married her husband Kelvin Rothenburger. They wed in July 2007. Patricia moved to Kelvin’s third- generation seed farm southwest of Morden, Man. Today, Patricia, Kelvin, and their three boys farm 4,000 acres of mixed grains along with Kelvin’s parents.