32 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2019 SIERRA WILLIAMSON Sierra Williamson’s just getting her start in the industry. She was born into an agri- culture community, where she learned all about the effort needed to drive food systems. Learning about food systems drove her when going to school — she now attends the University of Minnesota as an agriculture and food business management major. One of her passions? Food insecurity. Williamson grew up in a small area where community was every- thing, and everyone looked out for one another. In the grand scheme of things, Williamson believes we should be looking out for everyone in our global community, because we all share this planet. Williamson’s passion for food insecurity grew when she was accepted into the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge Program, which was an intern- ship designed for sophomores to learn how to create food security solutions. In the future, Williamson is excited to see one major thing: technology, technol- ogy, and more technology! She believes technology is the answer for the industry to tackle grand challenges such as food insecurity and feeding the growing popu- lation by 2050. 2019 | TOP 20 UNDER 30 KYLE PARMLEY Kyle Parmley was inspired to become a plant breeder while growing up in north central Oklahoma. He was able to see new corn hybrids perform well in their rough environment, and from there, he was driven to learn how scientists were developing these new plant varieties able to flourish in such harsh environments. He went on to Oklahoma State University, where he worked under a wheat breeder, and since then, he’s been hooked. He’s since moved on to Iowa State to pursue his master’s and PhD in a multi- disciplinary soybean breeding group, where they’re challenged every day to see how they can integrate novel computer vision, machine learning and optimiza- tion techniques into plant breeding. One specific research project Parmley worked on was a prescriptive breeding technol- ogy relying on a mixture of ground-based and aerial data and using artificial intel- ligence (AI) to make in-season predictions of seed yield and adaptation to specific management systems for candidate vari- eties in a breeding program. In November 2018, Parmley started working as a soybean germplasm enhancement breeder for Bayer Crop Science, where he gets to continue to use his ability to work across disciplines to bring new and useful genetic diversity to soybeans in a rapid and strategic way. LIZ KNUTSON Liz Knutson knew after putting on her blue corduroy FFA jacket that she was in agriculture for the long haul. Ag Ed allowed her to get a diversified knowl- edge that would equip her for either industry or classroom. While student teaching, Knutson discovered that she preferred her classroom to be more for adult learners, which also led her to the Emerging Leaders program at Corteva Agriscience. She got her start in industry in production, where she learned how to get seed in the bag before she moved to commercial sales. She loved working with farmers boot-to-boot, because you learn what’s successful and what’s not. However, she decided it was time to put her education skills back to work. She now works as a product market- ing manager for Pioneer brand seeds, where she helps local sales reps grow their businesses. To her, education is get- ting people engaged and excited about whatever they are invested in, and that’s exactly what she does in marketing. SHANNON KUBIK Shannon Kubik grew up with a farmer for a grandfather and a seed dealer for a dad. She looked up to people on the ag communication side — at the time, she wanted to grow up to be like the executive director from the Nebraska Beef Council. Communication called her name. She began her career in 2012 with an AgReliant Genetics legacy brand, and now she supports all the marketing efforts across LG Seeds. She says her career has been all about building brands — initially, helping to build the Producers Hybrids legacy brand and now having the oppor- tunity to transition to and help build the new LG Seeds brand from the ground up. The first question Kubik asks anyone she works with? What’s your “why?” She says, if you know someone’s “why,” then you can help grow the industry as a whole. Kubik’s “why?” She wants to inspire people to be more, to be better and to be themselves.