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52 SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2015 FOUNDERSSERIES PART6OF6 THESE ARE THE individuals who have provided leadership during trying times insight to complex issues and a com- mitment to something larger than self. The 100 founders of the seed industry that weve chosen to represent the dramatic changes during the past century have all left a tremendous mark be it in plant breeding technology business or the policy arena that impacts the seed indus- try. As a group they represent the industrys diversity and hail from all over the world. We know the progress and advancements realized today have not been accomplished by just 100 people. It has required hundreds of thou- sands of dedicated individu- als throughout this rich and highly textured industry as well as the creativity drive and fortitude of people like you. B.R. Barwale Founded Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company After getting access to some high-yielding okra seeds Barwale was impressed with the improved performance of the new hybrids and decided to start Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company known as Mahyco in India. More than 50 years after Barwale sold 2015 Top 100 Founders his first batch of okra seeds to his neighbors his com- pany contracts with more than 100000 growers. Since then seed distribution in India has grown 40-fold. In 1998 he received the World Food Prize award and invested that money into research pro- grams for hybrid rice varieties. Henry Beachell Creator of IR8 Rice Today most of the rice grown in the world comes from plants that build on Beachells work. From 1931 to 1963 he worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve rice varieties in the United States. Upon retirement he took a posi- tion at the International Rice Research Institute where his breakthrough IR8 rice variety revolutionized the crop in the 1960s. Instead of 1 to 2 tones of grain per hectare growers started averaging 4 or 5 tons and some saw as much as 10 tons. Beachell worked all his life consulting with Rice-Tec the first company to commer- cialize hybrid rice seed in the United States. Norman Borlaug Father of the Green Revolution He devoted his life to crop improvement. It was on research stations and farmers fields of Mexico that Borlaug developed successive generations of wheat varieties with broad and stable disease resistance broad adaptation to growing con- ditions across many degrees of latitude and with exceedingly high yield potential. These new wheat varieties and improved crop management practices transformed agricultural produc- tion in Mexico during the 1940s and 1950s and later in Asia and Latin America sparking the Green Revolution. Because of his achievements and efforts to prevent hunger famine and misery around the world it is said that Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived. Kent Bradford Launched the Seed Biotechnology Center Through workshops and courses the Seed Biotechnology Center at the University of California Davis has kept more than 2000 profession- als connected to the latest scientific advances that affect the seed indus- try. One of the most prominent is the Plant Breeding Academy which hosts workshops in the United States Asia Europe and Africa training seed industry personnel to become plant breeders and filling a shortfall in the profession. Robert Chandler Jr. Supported the Green Revolution Chandler lead the International Rice Research Institute and rounded up prominent scientists to lead a portion of the Green Revolution. During his decade at IRRI several new rice varie- ties were developed including Henry Beachells IR8 lauded as miracle rice. IRRI increased rice production by two-thirds in Asia outpacing population growth. Mary-Dell Chilton Helped Create the First Transgenic Plant Best known for producing the first transgenic plant in 1983 Mary-Dell Chiltons achievement has furthered the field of sci- Whether its in plant breeding or business policy or marketing sales or education leadership in the seed industry takes many forms. Meet the most transformational men and women in the seed industry during the past 100 years. From all across the globe they shape your world. Kent Bradford