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Mar 05, 2015
The American Soybean Association (ASA) recognized individuals for their meritorious service, lifetime membership development and top recruiting achievement at the annual ASA Banquet during Commodity Classic last week.
ASA President Wade Cowan (left) presents Dr. Jim Specht (right) with the Special Meritorious Service Award at the awards banquet in Phoenix. Photo Credit: Joe Murphy, Member Communications Manager Iowa Soybean Association
ASA presented Dr. Jim Specht, emeritus professor of agronomy and horticulture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with the Special Meritorious Service Award. The Special Meritorious Service Award honors individuals who served the soybean industry above and beyond the ordinary and devoted a major portion of their career to the soybean industry in any field.
Specht’s work led to major advancements in the soybean industry, including findings that an earlier planting date was crucial to achieving higher soybean yields. He was instrumental in DNA sequencing for generating higher seed yields and a leader in water management research and soybean yield response.
ASA President Wade Cowan (left) presents Harvey Morken (right) with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award-Membership Focus during the banquet in Phoenix. Photo Credit: Joe Murphy, Member Communications Manager Iowa Soybean Association
ASA presented Harvey Morken, of Casselton, N.D., with the Lifetime Achievement Award – Membership Focus. The award recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding leadership and dedication to ASA and helped further the interests of soybean farmers.
Morken’s hard work helped the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association increase membership enough to receive a second national director on the ASA Board for 2015. He is a dedicated membership recruiter who strives to learn more about the important issues and engages farmers in conversation, underscoring the importance of having a state and national soybean association working on policy issues on their behalf.
During the banquet, ASA also recognized the three top membership recruiters for the year:
