East Dundee, IL-Dr. Doug Brede of Jacklin Seed of the J.R. Simplot Company was the recipient of Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) “Innovator of the Year Award.”
In presenting the award to Doug Brede, TPI Past President Warren Bell reflected on Dr. Brede’s many accomplishments including the development over 60 popular turf varieties, some of which rank at the top of National Turfgrass Evaluation Program trials. His research team has developed, released and patented top cultivars in nine other grass species. He has authored 53 Plant Variety Protection certificates, 73 peer-review journal articles, 94 technical articles and abstracts, 72 magazine articles and a book entitled, “Turfgrass Maintenance Reduction Handbook.”
Bell went on to add, “Throughout his career Dr. Brede has tested over 48,000 grass plots on working turfgrass sod farms and his contribution to our industry has been immeasurable. For the innovative products he has developed and his commitment to out industry, it gives me great pleasure this evening to present Dr. Doug Brede, TPI’s Innovator of the Year Award.”
Before joining Jacklin Seed in 1986, Dr. Brede was Associate Professor of Turfgrass Management at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees at Penn State University in turfgrass agronomy.
Dr. Brede was inducted as a Fellow in the American Society of Agronomy in 2004. He was awarded a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America in 2005. He is also a recipient of the Genetics and Plant Breeding Award for Industry from the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders, and the Fred V. Grau Turfgrass Science Award, for lifetime achievement in the advancement in turfgrass science.