West Fargo, N.D. March 13 — The Board of Directors of the North Dakota Crop Improvement and Seed Association is pleased to announce Rick Novak has joined the organization as Seed Sales and Product Development Advisor. Novak has extensive experience in all aspects of the industry and brings a high level of professionalism and collaboration to the operation.
The Seed Sales and Product Development Advisor is responsible for communication, collaboration, education and sales in service to the NDCISA mission of encouraging the use of quality seed.
“To have a professional with this level of experience and integrity work with us toward our end goal of helping farmers and ranchers of North Dakota, especially young people coming into this business, to have genetics provided by a non profit, is unmatched,” said Board Member Troy Coons.
Novak has vast knowledge of contracts for many growers in the United States and Canada, a deep understanding of seed sales and logistics, strength in seed testing trials and the importance of that data, and a long record of integrity in the industry. He is a North Dakota native and is valued for his communication skills and track record of success.
“I have been working with the seed industry for most of my career and have actual work experience in every aspect of the industry,” Novak said. “I have enjoyed it and have been energized by attitudes and actions of the growers.”
Most recently Novak was Director of Seed Programs in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University. Prior to that he was Cereals Production and Supply Chain Manager at Syngenta Seeds in Berthoud, Colo., and Seed Production Specialist at the North Central Research Extension Center in Minot, N.D. He has a Bachelor of Science in soil science from North Dakota State University.
NDCISA is a member-run, non-profit organization that works to improve crop practices and to make top-quality seed readily available for farmers and ranchers. NDCISA works closely with various entities to select varieties best adapted to our region, and in turn provides more profitable seed varieties with the highest agronomic performance. NDCISA is committed to ensuring that public-developed varieties remain available to the public.
