Mary Hanks of Northfield was presented the “Honorary Premier Seed Grower Award” at the 2013 Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) annual meeting.
Hanks was recognized for her support of MCIA and organic agriculture through work at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. She grew up in Kansas City and did not envision a life in agriculture, yet her career has provided the
opportunity to work and support agriculture in a variety of ways.
Serving the state of Minnesota for more than 20 years in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), she is currently the director of agricultural marketing and development division.
Attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City, she earned a degree in biology. She had a strong interest in botany, and was the only female professor in the biology department who was encouraged to look at plant pathology as a career choice.
She worked for Northrup King as a plant pathologist before joining the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as the Integrated Pest Management coordinator.
She began working with MCIA to determine the feasibility of becoming an organic certifier. She served on the board of Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, as chair of the Board for the Minnesota Project and on the Rural Life Advisory Board for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Locally, she has also been involved with the Boy Scouts and as an active member on several parish committees.
The award was presented at the MCIA annual meeting held Jan. 15-16, at the Bigwood Event Center in Fergus Falls.
Original Article Here
No comments:
Post a Comment