Valent U.S.A. names Kenneth Seebold as Senior Director of Field R&D

Valent U.S.A. LLC announced that Kenneth ″Kenny″ Seebold will be the new senior director of Field Research & Development, effective April 3, replacing Mike Riffle, who announced his plan retire at the end of June, after more than 35 years of dedicated service.

Seebold will serve as Valent’s Field R&D executive responsible for all technical programs that drive field development of the company’s agricultural crop protection and enhancement portfolio for North America.  He will oversee all field R&D operations including Valent’s research stations, product development, field discovery biology, technical operations, and field market development teams.

″Kenny is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of developing innovative solutions to meet the needs of growers across North America,″ said Matt Plitt, president and chief executive officer. ″He is known for building effective, collaborative relationships with team members and customers alike and I’m excited for him to step in and lead our Field R&D team as they continue to advance our portfolio and pipeline.″

Kenny joined Valent in 2014 and is currently Manager, Seed Protection R&D where he manages a team charged with developing traditional and biological seed treatments for a variety of crops.  Prior to joining Valent, he was an Associate Extension Professor with the University of Kentucky’s Department of Plant Pathology and was also an Assistant Professor in Plant Pathology with the University of Georgia.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Pest Management, and a Master of Science in Plant Pathology from Auburn University. Kenny earned his PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Florida.  He has also authored and co-authored numerous agricultural journal articles and book chapters and is the recipient of several awards for excellence in agriculture.