Former Monsanto executive, Iowa’s chief technology officer and seed industry stalwart Ted Crosby has died after a sudden illness.
Crosbie, 65, died Saturday after becoming ill July 1 while on vacation, according to The Des Moines Register.
Former Gov. Tom Vilsack first named Crosbie Iowa’s chief technology officer, and Gov. Terry Branstad continued the appointment in 2011. Crosbie was a vocal advocate of agriculture and technology in Iowa, serving on the Iowa Innovation Council and other state boards.
“First and foremost, he was a farmer,” said Jon Crosbie, adding that his father grew up on his family’s farm near Paullina in northwest Iowa. “He had a lot of hobbies, but what he was best at was growing things.”
“What he really wanted most was to get food to people who didn’t have it,” Jon Crosbie said. “He really wanted to feed as many people as possible, and he found that at Monsanto.”
More at The Des Moines Register.
Crosbie sat down with Seed World publisher Shawn Brook at the American Seed Trade Association’s CSS & Seed Expo in 2013. View their interview below.