b'FUTURE GIANT OF THE SEED INDUSTRYITS A LABOR OF LOVELooking to makeTHIS YEARS 2019Future Giant of the Seed Industry is no stranger an impact on theto hard work or labors of love. Emily Combs Ziemke looks to place her-world, Emily Combsself in as many different capacities as she possibly can to better our world. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ziemke does not come from an agriculture Ziemke jumped inbackground, and it wasnt where she thought shed ever end up.head first to learnThis was a pretty big jump for me when I came into the seed industry, she recalled. I was really interested in genetics and wanted to have a job about plant breed- where I felt like I was making an impact on the world.ing. Now, as the 2019When I looked at the list of people who have received the award in the past, it was really exciting to see the breadth of the seed industry Future Giant, her lifethey spanned, she said. I think its a recognition of how broad the seed revolves around theindustry is and Im really excited I get to contribute to part of it. Its a little seed industry. intimidating to be honest. I dont necessarily think of myself as a future giant. I just think of myself as someone who is really passionate about the Lisa Kopochinski work that I do, and I really enjoy collaborating with others. lisakop@sbcglobal.net However, while Ziemke might be humble, plenty of co-workers, men-tors and peers were excited to brag about Ziemke and her achievements.Some might call Emily the Doogie Howser of the plant breeding world, said Julie Deering, Seed Worlds editor. She has done work for the likes of the Samuel Roberts Nobel Foundation and CIMMYT.Emily does not back down from any challenge and emotes positivity throughout her interactions with others, said Matthew Smalley, director of North America Corn Breeding at Corteva Agriscience. She is a valued and sought-after teammate, regardless of the project.Ziemke joined Corteva Agriscience in Mankato, Minn., in 2013. As the companys North American Corn Technology lead, she applies cutting-edge science to improve the quality of genetic data and increase the diver-sity within the companys corn germplasm.However, Ziemkes work not only includes working day-to-day with Cortevashe also serves on numerous committees, including the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) and GreenSeam. I have had the pleasure of interacting with Emily as a member of the NAPB, through the officer rotation of the NAPB Communications Committee and through the NAPB Executive Committee, said Wayne Smith, professor at Texas A&M and past president of the NAPB. She has been an absolute pleasure to work with; always energetic and professional, dependable to bring ideas to the discussion and always willing to do more than required. I believe that Dr. Ziemke is an energetic, aggressive and accomplished young plant breeder who is poised to be a major player in plant breeding and in the seed industry.But her work doesnt stop there. Shes a volunteer for Farmamerica, and she has also been involved in the development of the Excellence in Breeding, Module 2 to help plant breeding organizations, such as the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), deploy the most relevant technologies for improved breeding.16/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2019'