S&W Seed Company promotes Dan Gardner to the newly created position of chief marketing and technology officer.
Gardner joined S&W in 2012 and most recently served as vice president of breeding and genetics. Prior to S&W, Gardner was in various leadership positions in breeding and international sales at Dairyland Seed Co., a Dow AgroSciences subsidiary, where he served for 18 years.
“S&W has expanded significantly over the last four years in large part due to Dan’s contributions,” shares Mark Grewal, S&W Seed Company CEO. “Farmers are increasingly looking for a higher level of agronomic support to help them make decisions on the best alfalfa seed varieties that they should plant.
“Dan’s extensive knowledge of the alfalfa seed industry and genetics, positions him as a key component of our overall marketing strategy to drive home the value proposition of our leading genetics.”
Gardner adds: “Over the last number of years, S&W has expanded its product offerings to include some of the industry’s leading alfalfa seed genetics, as well as our recently acquired sorghum and sunflower germplasm. We believe these differentiated genetics bring tremendous value to farmers, including salt and drought tolerance, pest resistance, and yield, not to mention our products in the development pipeline. Our goal will be to enhance S&W’s position as an innovator in the agricultural seed industry that brings increased value to its customers.”
Filling the role Gardner previously held, Mark Smith has been promoted to vice president of breeding and genetics. Smith joined S&W in January 2015 in connection with the company’s acquisition of DuPont Pioneer’s alfalfa seed research program as director of breeding and genetics. Smith has nearly 30 years of alfalfa seed industry experience.
“Mark is one of the leading plant breeders in the alfalfa seed industry,” Grewal says. “He has a strong knowledge of both classical breeding, as well as biotech breeding, which should allow us to continue our path of developing the next generation of leading alfalfa seed varieties.”
