USDA Livestock, Poultry & Seed Division Welcomes New Director

Mr. Ernest Allen has been selected to serve as the Director of the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service/Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program’s Seed Regulatory and Testing Division (SRTD) in Gastonia, NC.  He formerly served as the Deputy Director and Laboratory Supervisor of SRTD and for the past three months, has served as Acting Director.

Prior to joining the Seed division as a seed analyst in 2004, Mr. Allen served in several management roles in the service industry, where he cooperated with diverse groups of stakeholders, handled administrative issues, and managed financial resources. 

As a seed analyst and later a botanist for SRTD, Mr. Allen played an integral role in administering the Federal Seed Act, carrying out seed testing services, and other outreach activities for state government and industry partners. 

He has also served as the voting AMS representative for the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA), the voting delegate for the United States at the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Ordinary Meetings, and Acting U.S. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Seed Schemes Program Manager for the Agricultural Marketing Service.  He has also served on several committees and working groups for various seed industry organizations.

Mr. Allen is a Certified Seed Analyst and has earned a bachelor and master’s degree in biological sciences from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.

Please join SRTD in congratulating their new Director!

For more information, visit USDA AMS/LPS.