John Gerard

John Gerard has been dedicated to and a leader in the seed industry most of his career. John grew up on a small livestock, grain, and dairy farm outside of Delphi, Indiana, where he met his future wife, Marta. After graduating from Delphi, John attended Purdue University, graduating with a degree in Ag Education in 1960.

His first introduction to the seed industry occurred shortly thereafter. To supplement his career as an Ag Teacher and FFA sponsor, he inspected fields for Indiana Crop Improvement. This eventually led to him accepting the position of General Manager of Indiana Crop Improvement Association, where he led a highly successful growth curve to ICIA. John wrote his master thesis on Seed Vigor, which caught the eye of Seyler Seed of Plymouth, Indiana. Together, they started VR Seeds, one of the first independent soybean companies in the U.S. Based on vigor and elite seed quality, John built VR Seeds into a million bag company and later sold to AgriGenetics, where he launched their licensing division.

Always the entrepreneur, he left AgriGenetics and was one the forefront of the licensing world by starting JGL, Inc., an elite soybean and licensing company, Seed Genetics, Inc., a corn licensing company, and JoMar Seeds, a wheat licensing company. John was more than a soybean, corn, and wheat guy. He was an industry guy and committed his time and resources via ASTA to grow the U.S. seed industry. This is a commitment that he passed on to his sons and now a grandson. His engagement with ASTA began in 1964 attending the CSS, 1965 at the Summer Annual Meeting and the Western in 1970 where he participated in “trading in the pit.”

His involvement includes:
PVPA: served on original committee and the subcommittees. Was part of leadership in adopting UPOV 1991.
Intellectual Property Rights: Served on original committee and several subcommittees. He chaired the committee for 5 years, was rep to ISF IPR for 5 years, represented ASTA at several state, regional, national and international meetings presenting the ASTA position and the need for IPR. He also traveled extensively with Dr. Harry Collins and Dr. Stephen Smith promoting our position, including at WIPO for 2 years and getting to present at WIPO the 2nd year. John also served as an ASTA consultant to the USDA in Rome around IPR discussions and the Treaty.
White Papers: John served as Chair for two white papers. The first was around the labeling of oil and protein on seed containers. He also walked the halls of Congress promoting the ASTA position. The 2nd white paper was around the definition of “variety” as it pertained to wheat.
Soybean Division: Assisted in the launching of the soybean division and served as chair for 1 term.
Brokerage Division: Served as Chair for 1 term.
Arbitration Committee: Served as chair for two arbitrations and on a third as a member of the Arbitration Board.
NCCB: Chair for 1 term.
ASTA Regional VP: Served two full terms and part of another.

He also served in the Farm Seed Division and many committees and subcommittees during his career. John also assisted in the creation of the Indiana Seed Trade Association and served as chair for one term. John also participated in two trade missions for ASTA – one to Turkey and another to China.

As you can see, his dedication to the seed industry, his leadership on issues important to the seed industry and continued commitment is a testimony to his love for seed, the seed industry, and ASTA.

John married his high school sweetheart and best friend Marta on August 28, 1960. They have 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren. He continues to serve in many ministries and loves being able to share his faith and encourage those he encounters.