1978 James R. Shearl Becomes Manager
George Keith announced in February of 1978 his desire to retire on September 30, 1979, after 17 years of service. The long lead time was intended to provide for the appointment of a worthy successor to work alongside George for about a year. George Keith had come to ICIA after a long career in the field seed industry. From previous experiences, he understood how seeds were sold and appreciated the importance of seed certification. During his time, he joined with the ICIA staff, board of directors, and U of I College of Ag Advisory Committee members to develop and deliver a first-class seed certification program.
One of the highlights of his career was the “two-tag system” which provided for the early issuance of certified seed tags so that the tags could be sewn into the seam of the bag at closing. The analysis tag was then attached at a later date after seed conditioning and testing was complete. The “two-tag system” made tracking their identity in the seed warehouse easier and streamlined the process of tagging for members.
James R. (Jim) Shearl was selected in the spring of 1978 to replace the retiring George Keith as Manager of the Association. From 1970-78 Shearl was actively engaged as a County Extension Advisor, first in Madison County, IL near St. Louis and then from 1974-78 in Ford County just north of Champaign-Urbana. Shearl describes the experience this way. One day in the spring of 1978 he received a letter from the Director of the Cooperative Extension Service Dr. H. B. `Pete’ Petty. In the letter Dr. Petty referred to the ICIA vacancy that was coming up and said he was recommending Shearl for the job. Shearl tossed the letter thinking it was a bulk mailing to all agents.
Later that day, he spoke with Ken Bolen, the County Agent in Vermilion County. Bolen’s brother Carol was President of the Pioneer Brand Hi-Bred of Illinois. Shearl asked Bolen if he had “received the bulk mailing from the head-shed about the IL Crop job?” Bolen said no and suggested Shearl get it out of the file and read it again. After further investigation and a talk with Director Petty, Shearl applied for the ICIA job, and a month later he was selected as the winning candidate.
He knew he had a good position from comments by his friend, Extension Agronomist Dr. W. O. Scott, but it did not come to light until he, his wife Brenda, and two kids attended their first annual meeting that June. The warmth and extension of friendship by the members were great. As a further bonus, the staff treated him royally. In the days ahead, the staff would patiently share details of upcoming key events and bring him up to speed on what needed to be done. Being a former County Agent, he understood the approach of sharing information with the membership and helping them succeed in their businesses. Shearl was amazed at the popularity of Illinois Certified Seed. Seedsmen from neighboring states would call and ask for the Illinois Seed Grower’s Directory. It was a compilation of seeds produced by each member by variety and told of their acres produced. There was a robust wholesale market for Illinois-certified seed, including soybeans, wheat, and oats. When Shearl went to the Western Farm Seed Conference, held each fall in Kansas City, he would fill his suit pockets full of directories before walking out onto the sales floor area. The first thing people would do was ask for the Illinois Seed Directory!
Source – Honoring an Era – A History of Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Inc. 1973-1997
