b'Joe Hickson (Lindsay, Ont.) /Istvan Rajcan (Guelph, Ont.) / Robertson Associate Award Honourary Life AwardBecoming a seed grower 35 years ago,Born and raised in Novi Sad, Serbia, Rajcan Hickson started with Maple Arrow soy- graduated from the University of Novi Sad. beans. He continues to produce pedigreedHe began his career a research assistant soybean seed with his brother and has branched outin sunflower breeding. Moving to Canada in 1991, he is into both spring and winter cereals for seed production.a professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the He sits on many boards, including as a Grain Farmers ofUniversity of Guelph. He holds a PhD in canola breed-Ontario Director, the Ontario Seed Growers Associationing and genetics and has developed more than 70 soy-and Farm & Food Care Ontario. bean cultivars. He leads a soybean breeding and genetics program, and his research explores genetic variation for Alireza (Ali) Navabi (Guelph, Ont.)yield and disease resistance traits. Istvan has trained 46 / Clark-Newman-Clayton Awardgraduate students at the masters or PhD level. He has (Posthumous) received several awards including the 2022 Canadian Navabi was a dedicated plant breeder,Plant Breeding and Genetics Award. He has co-edited two researcher, educator and an extremelybooks, published 10 book chapters and more than 100 active member within the ag sector. He began his careerpeer-reviewed journal articles.as a research officer in central Iran after graduating from Shiraz University with a Bachelor of Science in agronomyKevin Runnalls (New Liskeard, Ont.) / and plant breeding. With a Master of Science in plantRobertson Associate Awardbreeding, he moved to Edmonton, and in 1998 started hisIn 1980, Runnalls and his wife purchased PhD focusing his research on genetic resistance to rusttheir first farm on the land his great grand-diseases of wheat. In 2016 he was inducted as a fellow offather established in 1902. He began as a the Canadian Society of Agronomy and recognized as acontract grower and became a seed producer in 1989. He seed champion by the Ontario Seed Growers Associationand his sons now manage 6,000 acres of crop production. in 2018. He published 65 peer reviewed papers, 30 varietyHes sat on the Ontario Seed Growers Board, the Canada disclosures and gave over 100 conference presentationsSeed Institute Board, and the CSGA board. He was CSGA both nationally and internationally. Navabi passed awaypresident from 2016 to 2018. Today, Runnalls represents on March 10, 2019. His dedication to his work and hisCSGA on the Canadian Federation of Agriculture board.devotion to those around him will always be remembered. Doug Stirling (Chatham-Kent, Ont.) / Honourary Life AwardDamas OMEGAStirling began working for the Department Cleaning/Grading Machine - High grading efficiency with low power consumption -of Agriculture as a summer student sam-pling seed and fertilizer and crop inspec-tions in 1973. After graduating from the University of Guelph, he earned an inspector-officer position with TheDAMAS OMEGAAAFC, working there for almost 35 years. During his is a flexible and efficientcareer, he helped shape and change Ontario and Canada cleaning/grading machineprograms and policies. He was a major contributor to the which can be used for acertification program for pedigreed seed crop inspectors, wide varietyof cereals andsetting a nation-wide standard.seeds, from light to heavyPeter Szentimrey (Branchton, Ont.) / seeds all the way from pre- Robertson Associate Awardcleaning to fine cleaning.Szentimrey is involved in almost every The DAMAS OMEGA isaspect of seed production, seed process-capable of handling up toing and registration. He prides himself on 300 tons per hour whenthe hard work and dedication that goes into each bag of Szentimrey Seeds. He also runs a commercial grain cleaning cerealsand up toelevator and seed processing plant. A second-generation 30 tons per hour whenseed grower, he received his Variety Maintainer status in grading seeds.2014. He was active on various boards, including Golden Horseshoe Soil and Crop, Brant Soil and Crop, and recently completing his term of past-president with the Ontario Seed Growers Association. www.canseedequip.com | 800-644-8397 | sales@canseedequip.com with files from CSGA50GERMINATION.CASEPTEMBER 2022'