|
URBANDALE,
Iowa - The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) honored Dr. Walter R. Fehr with the association’s first Lifetime Achievement Award at ISA’s annual policy conference and 45th anniversary kickoff in Ames on Dec. 19.
John Heisdorffer, ISA president and a soybean farmer from Keota, made the presentation, recognizing Fehr for his contribution to soybean plant breeding. “ISA very happy to present Dr. Fehr with our first lifetime achievement award” Heisdorffer said. “We’ve worked with Walt for many years, and we appreciate his tireless work for soybean farmers and his visionary leadership in soybean research.”
Dr. Fehr came to Iowa State University (ISU) in 1964, the year that ISA was begun. He is a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the highest academic honor at ISU, and he teaches and conducts research in plant breeding, specializing in soybean breeding and genetics, in the Department of Agronomy.
Dr. Fehr has been a long-time friend of the Iowa Soybean Association. ISA CEO Kirk Leeds noted, “Dr. Fehr has received checkoff funding for his soybean research since the inception of the soybean checkoff 37 years ago.”
Since then, Leeds said, Dr. Fehr has developed an extremely innovative plant breeding program that utilizes traditional plant breeding methods along with biotechnology to enhance the genetic traits of soybeans. In the past two decades he has focused on the discovery and development of novel traits to improve soybean yield and enhance quality.
Dr. Fehr’s research has produced more than 200 food grade soybean varieties that are grown in Iowa and throughout the U.S. The soybeans are sold at a premium price and marketed throughout the world. He was also the first to develop heart-healthy soybeans that contain no trans fat.
During his career, Dr. Fehr has also directed 77 graduate student programs, and many of those graduates are now soybean breeders in public and private plant breeding programs throughout the United States.
In addition to his other responsibilities, Fehr is the director of the ISU Office of Biotechnology, which assists departments with the hiring of biotechnology faculty, provides graduate fellowships for outstanding students, operates state-of-the-art instrumentation facilities for research, conducts an innovative education program for K-12 teachers and Extension personnel, coordinates technology transfer with industry and supports an active bioethics program.
Recalling all of Fehr’s accomplishments, Leeds said, “We at the Iowa Soybean Association are proud to have had the opportunity to have such a long working relationship with Dr. Fehr.”
ISU President Gregory Geoffroy was on hand to congratulate Fehr, calling him “one of the great faculty at ISU, having the highest title in the department.”
“Dr. Fehr is a lead researcher in the industry and a great educator,” Geoffroy said. “He is also a great ISU citizen. In directing the ISU biotechnology program, he unselfishly promotes biotechnology and the careers of fellow researchers.”
For Dr. Fehr, the recognition led him to recall that his work with soybeans and ISA has truly been “a family affair,” noting that his children grew up with the soybean association and with soybeans. “The entire family got involved in helping with soybean work in the field, and our family vacation destinations were wherever there was a soybean conference being held.”
“One of the most significant developments during the years has been the checkoff,” Fehr said. He recalled that the checkoff enabled research to become mechanized and less labor intensive. It also made research in South Amercia possible so that new varieties could be developed in six years, rather than 15. The checkoff has made information available to the public regarding the management of disease, for instance, and it also made possible the internship of 250 students, many of whom are now experts in the industry.
Referring to research in food grade soy, Dr. Fehr, said, “All roads lead back to ISU.”
Certainly, that is a legacy that can be credited, in large part, to Dr. Fehr and helps make him a deserving recipient of ISA’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Iowa Soybean Association
develops policies and programs that help farmers expand profit opportunities
while promoting environmentally sensitive production using the soybean
checkoff and other resources. The Association is governed by an elected
volunteer board of 21 farmers.
|
