Riley McConachie (a Master’s student in the Guelph wheat program his research centres on the genetics of Fusarium head blight resistance in winter wheat) was awarded the Clark-Newman-Clayton Award. This is a one-time award presented to a graduate student doing seed research in wheat. 

With a mandate conferred by the Seeds Regulations to establish standards and to certify seed crops, the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association CSGA is comprised of over 3,100 seed grower members and works with other members of crop value chains to ensure a reliable system of pedigreed seed certification in Canada. Through several awards, CSGA recognizes individuals who have made positive and exceptional impacts in the seed sector and Canadian agriculture. One is the Clark-Newman Clayton-Award, which is issued in recognition of a person who has made an exceptional contribution to Canadian agriculture through research, plant breeding and administration. This year, CSGA’s Board of Directors recognized the exceptional contribution to plant breeding and Canadian agriculture by the late Dr Ali Navabi who previously led the wheat program at University of Guelph. The award was presented to Dr Ali Navabi’s spouse, Dr Khatareh Sheibani, at our virtual Annual General Meeting this past July. The award includes a $2,500 grant for a post-graduate student personally involved in a seed related project. The recipient of this award is asked to nominate a Canadian university who is asked to identify a suitable post-graduate student to receive this grant from CSGA. Dr Navabi’s spouse has nominated the Wheat Program at the University of Guelph. (https://seedgrowers.ca/dr-alireza-ali-navabi-clark-newman-clayton-award-recipient-2021/)

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Dr. Istvan Rajcan, Dr. John Cranfield, Dr. Helen Booker, Riley McConachie, Doug Miller (Executive Director Canadian Seed Growers’ Association), Dr. Max Jones