Aug 29, 2013

AAS Honors Industry Achievers at Summer SummitSource: All-America Selections

All-America Selections hosted its annual Summer Summit Aug. 12-14, in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

The Summer Summit is an opportunity for breeders, brokers/distributors, mail order seed companies, seed packet companies, growers, retailers and AAS Trial Judges to network and learn more about recent AAS Winners as well as varieties currently undergoing trialing.

This year the group spent one day touring trials at JVK, Stokes Seeds, Vineland Research Station, and the Niagara College Winery & Brewery, ending the day at Balls Falls Conservation Area.

The second day the group toured trials at the University of Guelph and Dam Seeds before wrapping up by viewing the AAS Display Garden and other installations at Royal Botanical Gardens.

A highlight of the AAS Summer Summit is the Awards Banquet where two prestigious horticulture industry awards are presented.

The first award was the prestigious AAS Medallion of Honor, an award designed to recognize someone with a lifelong dedication to advancement in the field of horticulture. Joel Goldsmith, Goldsmith Seeds was the 2013 recipient. Joel’s family founded Goldsmith Seeds in 1962 and Joel took over as president in 1989. In the history of Goldsmith Seeds, the company has won 22 AAS Winner awards for innovative flower breeding.

Robert L. Johnston, Jr. was named the recipient of the 2013 Breeders Cup Award. Johnston is the founder and chairman of Johnny’s Selected Seeds where he has bred award winning vegetables for 40 years.

To recognize his significant breeding accomplishments that include AAS Vegetable Award Winners Pumpkin ‘Baby Bear,’ Squash ‘Bonbon,’ Pepper ‘Carmen,’ and Tomato ‘Jasper,’ All-America Selections Board of Directors chose Rob Johnston to be honored with the Breeders’ Cup Trophy.

The 2014 AAS Summer Summit and awards banquet will take place in the Carolinas.

For more information: Diane Blazek at dblazek@aas-ngb.org.