Dryland Genetics, a plant breeding company that focuses on developing and commercializing crops that make more grain from less water, announced that it has named an industry veteran to the position of chief operating officer.

Craig Anderson who previously served as the brand manager at LG Seeds and the COO of AgReliant Genetics will oversee production, sales, and supply chain management at Dryland Genetics. As a member of the company’s leadership team, Anderson will report to Patrick Schnable, chief executive officer and co-founder.

“Craig brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience managing production and supply chain for one of the fastest growing seed companies in North America,” said Schnable. “He brings a valuable perspective and the expertise to rapidly grow our capacity to produce proso millet seed and get that seed into the hands of our customers.”

Anderson commented, “I am excited for the opportunity to bring new high yielding millet varieties to the farmers in the high plains. These are farmers and areas that have dealt with water availability issues for decades, and the significantly higher yield that growers can expect from Dryland Genetics proso millet is arriving at the perfect time.”

The appointment of Anderson comes at an opportune time as Dryland Genetics continues to build out the supply chain for its higher yielding proso millet varieties that can produce more grain from less water, and without supplemental nitrogen fertilizer. This is particularly critical in the western Great Plains where agriculture depends on increasingly limited supplies of water for irrigation.

Anderson brings more than 30 years of commercial seed operations experience in sales, marketing and operations to Dryland Genetics. As vice president of operations at AgReliant Genetics, Anderson was responsible for managing the production and supply chain of one of the fastest growing seed corn companies in North America. Most recently he served as COO for AgReliant Genetics, responsible for the commercial performance of the company.