U of Minn. Siehl Prize winners include Willmar executives

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An expert in wheat diseases, a food company executive and a pair of entrepreneurs have won the University of Minnesota’s Siehl Prize in Agriculture.

This year’s recipients include:

—University researcher Yue Jin, a leader in work aimed at stopping the spread of rust in wheat and barley, a significant threat to the world’s food supply.

—Philip Minerich, vice president of research and development at Hormel Foods, where he has led innovations in packaging, food technology and food safety.

—Ted Huisinga and Ray Norling, executives of Life-Science Innovations & Affiliates in Willmar. They built Willmar Poultry Co. into a multi-faceted firm with a dozen affiliated companies related to the turkey industry. The organization now includes Nova-Tech Engineering, PALS, Epitopix, the MinnWest Technology Campus and others.

The prize is awarded annually by the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. It was created by a gift from New Ulm-area businessman Eldon Siehl.