S&W Seed Company has announced a key new executive appointment expected to expand global business opportunities for European farmers.
Ernst Topitschnig, a senior agribusiness executive with more than 25 years of international experience, has joined the company in the newly created role of Vice President Sales – Europe.
Topitschnig will work from Austria with responsibilities across S&W’s full product portfolios throughout Eastern and Western Europe.
Multi-national seed leader S&W Seed Company offers a diversified range of quality seed varieties including quality alfalfa (lucerne) varieties, grain & forage sorghums, sunflowers, and more.
“S&W is a fast-moving global innovator with an extremely well-integrated range of strategic agricultural solutions,” said Topitschnig.
“The company conducts constant research and development around the world, including here in Europe, which brings best quality product to market in the fastest possible timeframes. The benefit of this for European farmers is access through S&W to the latest and best genetic innovations in our industry, via a range of crop solutions that are developed especially for today’s market demands and environmental challenges.”
Significant European product development in key high demand product areas is part of the S&W recipe.
“S&W’s sunflower research & development works are world-leading, with breeding facilities based in Hungary, Australia and Argentina. We are a market leader in this crop, which is important here as more than 60% of global sunflower production occurs in Europe. However this is just the beginning, as there are many other high quality varieties in the current range and in development. Global markets are hungry for more of this kind of quality in all crops, and S&W are well placed to service this demand.
“I am greatly looking forward to giving European farmers the fastest possible access to the best innovations in our industry as they continually strive for greater productivity and quality within the changing policy, environmental and general business market challenges that face the modern agriculturalist.”
Executive Vice President for S&W’s international operations, David Callachor, said Topitschnig’s appointment is a further step in S&W’s strategies to provide a single-source solution for farmers seeking excellence in all key premium seed varieties.
“Ernst has a wealth of experience in multi-national seed operations. He is briefed to consolidate and grow our connections in Europe, to expand our sorghum, sunflower & alfalfa operations, to service existing and new clients at a high level, and in particular to lead our global sunflower strategy. He will have particular focus on growth in Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Romania and Hungary, and on helping farmers to leverage their business opportunities against the growing global demand for sorghums as gluten-free, bio-fuel and corn-alternative crops. We are delighted that he is bringing his expertise to our team.”
