Education: 

Education
M.S. – Horticulture, UC Davis
B.S. – Agronomy and Plant Breeding, UASLP, Mexico

Years of Service at Sakata: 2014 to Present

Currently Breeding:  Hot Peppers

Benito, what led you to decide to become a vegetable breeder?

I started in the “seed Industry” working for Asgrow Seed Company as PD & Sales representative. I also worked for Petoseed Seed Company as PD and R&D Station Manager. While working for these two seed companies I spent numerous hours in the field working with plant breeders and I thought their job was fascinating. I learned that as a vegetable breeder we could manipulate a plant’s DNA to make it more resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses. A vegetable Plantbreeder can also improve the yields, adaptation, and nutritional value of crops. To be able to contribute and improve the quality of life of growers and consumers by practicing vegetable breeding inspired me to go back to school and learn the Science behind plant breeding.

What’s the best part of your job?

I enjoy my work very much and more so in a great working environment such as Sakata. I would say the best part is to create and develop lines and making new hybrid combinations and introducing them in our target markets. Spending time in the field observing and evaluating several hundred plants if not even thousands of them to find the most ideal genetic combination has to be one of the best parts of my job.

Sakata recently celebrated 40 years of business in NAFTA – Do you have anything special you’d like to say about Sakata?

I am very proud of being part of the company. I have always admired and respected the image, prestige and reputation. While working for Asgrow and Peto I knew about Sakata, which has for the longest time being the dominant leader in Brassica crops specifically broccoli. Over time the Company has grown in many other different segments and that is a good sing of a successful company. I like that many Sakata employees have been with the Company for more than 20, 25, or even 30 years. I would say that speaks very highly of the Management Team and the company’s philosophy.

Briefly, can you tell us something that not everyone knows about you!

Working at Sakata as the Hot Pepper Breeder kind of closes the circle. I started my plant breeding career working with hot peppers. Like several professionals at the time, I did a lot of scouting for landraces of hot peppers in Mexico that I gave to one of my very good professional friends. Then, for my Master’s dissertation, I worked in CMS in peppers. I went to breed watermelons for many years and now being back in hot peppers is like a dream come through. I am not planning on stopping plant breeding perhaps until I die. Plant breeding is my passion.

Education:

I had a passion for plants from a young age, having collected and cultivated everything from cacti and succulents to carnivorous plants. In college I had a professor who was a flower breeder which sparked my interest in plant breeding. His passion for his specialty that combined multiple scientific disciplines (genetics, horticulture, pathology, statistics) along with creativity (visual selections, designing new hybrid varieties) really captured me. I love the union of plants, science, and creativity that plant breeding involves. I spent time in academia pursuing the science of plant breeding, but really found my home after coming to Sakata, where I can focus on creating new vegetable varieties that will benefit both growers and consumers.

What inspires you, and what’s the best part of your job?

What inspires me and what I enjoy most of in my job is participating in the complete development and creation of a new variety. This begins by designing and evaluating multiple populations and is followed by multiple years of parent selection and development in the field. Finally, the process ends with the final stages of hybrid design and evaluation of the final product. Years of sweat and mental energy go into the creation of a hybrid, and less than 1% of your creations will make it to a commercial variety. The journey to create and discover those rare ‘diamonds’ inspires me and drives me to continue the process each season, which always brings new challenges and opportunities.

Recently we celebrated our Centennial Anniversary – do you have anything special you’d like to say about Sakata?

Sakata represents to me the best of agribusiness. For 100 years it has been a company with clear focus to pursue its core purpose-providing superior flower and vegetable varieties to its customers. It has done this through hard work and commitment to people, both its employees and customers. I appreciate being involved with a proven, successful global leader in seed that still maintains the culture and atmosphere of a family.

Briefly, can you tell us something that not everyone knows about you!

I consider myself an amateur audiophile and enjoy listening to diverse music, attending live concerts, and collecting excellent headphones. I also do audio mixing and enjoy learning about the benefits of sound and music for optimal health.

David Wolff was also an assistant professor in Vegetable Breeding at Texas A&M University.

Education:

What inspired you to be a vegetable breeder?

I’ve always been very interested in working with living things, particularly plants and insects. Growing up, my parents taught us about the natural world and encouraged curiosity and creativity. I studied entomology during my masters and through that was introduced to the agricultural sciences. I became interested in plant breeding as a way to work on something very applied, while still being able to study what first drew me to science, biology and understanding how living things fit together.

What’s the best/your favorite part of your job?

I enjoy the creativity of plant breeding. Making and evaluating new hybrids is the best part of my job.

What specifically do you like about Sakata Seed America?

Sakata has a close-knit and supportive atmosphere that makes it a great place to work.

Can you tell us something that not everyone knows about you?

I’m a hobbyist entomologist and enjoy collecting and rearing insects.

Education:

Education:

Nihat, what inspired you to become a vegetable breeder?

Well, I grew up in a big city in Turkey and there was not much in the way of agricultural activities around me, but there was a cemetery across from our apartment. At certain times of the year, especially during religious celebrations, people visited their loved ones’ graves. Kids of my age (8-12 years-old) were paid to clean weeds that were growing around the cemetery and water the roses or trees around it. My passion for plants started while I cared for the plants in the graveyard. Later on when I went to college at Ankara University, genetic classes were my favorite. I am inspired by making selections and crosses. I can make my own cultivar and make people happier through better tasting fruits and vegetables.

What inspires you and what’s the best part of your job?

Making people happy makes me happy. Two things energize me about my job: making better tasting and higher yielding crops. Better tasting crops make people happy and they enjoy what they eat. Higher yielding crops make them more available, giving people better access to that crop.

Continuous excitement and surprises are the best part of my job. There is no limit to how much you can improve on the quality and the yield of a crop. Therefore, there are continuous opportunities for improvement. Secondly, each selection and hybrid cross may result in numerous surprises since you often get more than what you expect!

Recently Sakata celebrated 40 years of business in NAFTA – Do you have anything special you’d like to say about Sakata?

I share many common values with Sakata, the most important one being passion. We both have passion to breed for excellence. Sakata gives me the best working atmosphere to fulfill my passion and breed for excellence. That’s why Sakata is my first employer and hopefully my only employer.

Briefly, can you tell us something that not everyone knows about you?

When I was kid, watermelon was my favorite crop as well as today. However, I did not like to eat watermelon with seeds. I always had to take out all the seeds before I eat a piece of watermelon. Now I am thinking God made me a watermelon breeder for a reason.

Nihat participated in a national horticulture scholarship exam held by the Turkish Ministry of Education in 1995. Thousands of students from all across the country took the exam and Nihat placed second. He put that scholarship to good use and furthered his education in the U.S.

Nihat is the global research and development head for watermelon and senior watermelon breeder at Sakata.

Education
M.S. – Plant Breeding, Iowa State University
B.S. – Agronomy, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Years of Service at Sakata: 2012 to Present

Currently Breeding:  Baby Leaf Beet and Swiss Chard

Jenna, what led you to decide to become a vegetable breeder?

Since growing up on my family’s farm in Minnesota I have always been drawn to agriculture. After a trip to Central America in college I realized there was so much more to the world’s agriculture than corn and soybeans and I set out to learn about it. Vegetable breeding is a great way to see what and how people grow things all over the world.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job as a plant breeder is the amount of creativity I get to employ to solve problems. The best part of my job at Sakata is the people I get to work with on a daily basis.

Sakata recently celebrated 40 years of business in NAFTA – Do you have anything special you’d like to say about Sakata?

Sakata’s entrepreneurial spirit makes it a place that fosters people to build innovation. Combining that with Sakata’s emphasis on philanthropy makes this a company I am proud to work for.

Briefly, can you tell us something that not everyone knows about you!

I’m pretty fluent in German from spending a year in Cologne when I was in college.

Education:

M.S. - Plant Breeding, Iowa State University
B.S. – Plant Biotechnology, UC Davis
B.A. - Comparative Literature, UC Davis
Postgraduate Certificate - Plant Breeding Academy, UC Davis

Years of Service at Sakata: 2007 to Present

Currently Breeding: Radish and Collard

=Naoki, why did you decide to become a vegetable breeder?

I didn’t decide to become a vegetable breeder until I became one! As a new breeder, I had opportunities to expand our existing programs to better suit our company’s growing needs. It has been an exhilarating experience, and I am officially hooked.

What’s the best part of your job?

Vegetable breeding is never boring. I plan and plant nurseries, apply pesticides, pollinate and harvest. I also travel, evaluate trials, and talk with growers, seed dealers as well as sales and production. I try to make varieties that everyone will be happy with. It is an ongoing process. The many facets of this job drive me crazy sometimes, but I love what I do.

Recently Sakata celebrated 40 years of business in NAFTA - Do you have anything special you’d like to say about Sakata?

Sakata is a fun place to work. Everyone has a lot of work to do, and yet they are more than willing to help if we need it. It is a kind of workplace that I feel safe in and I appreciate the support given to me by my colleagues.

Briefly, can you tell us something that not everyone knows about you!

I have a license as a Pest Control Advisor in California. I help with pesticide related decisions and safety programs in Salinas.