So many times we hear the word “big” with a negative connotation, especially when talking about businesses. Big Pharma, Big Ag, the Big Superstore (is that one a bit redundant?), and Big Corporations all seem to be out to ruin the world, if you would believe all the hype. Even small family farms are getting bigger all the time. But just because something is BIG, does that mean it is BAD?
I had the opportunity to take a tour of Beck’s Hybrids Headquarters in Indiana last week. I got to meet some of the people behind Beck’s – the people that are responsible for helping to develop new hybrids of corn and varieties of soybean plants to help farmers make a living for themselves and feed us.
Beck’s Hybrids Leadership Team – (left to right) Dr. Kevin Cavanaugh, director of research; Scott Beck, vice president; Sonny Beck, president, and Tom Hooper, director of sales
Photo used with permission, courtesy of Beck’s Hybrids.
Beck’s Hybrids is the #6 seed company in the United States. That is even a bit more impressive when you know that they only sell seed in the Midwest – Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Why is Beck’s limited to these 8 Midwestern states? It’s their choice. All their hybrids are developed and all their seed is grown in these 8 states, so they know how their corn and soybeans will grow in this climate and on the types of soils that are on the farms in this area. Farm environments – day length, average temperature, winds, rainfall, and soil types – are not the same all over the country. Because Beck’s does all their research, breeding, and growing in the Midwest, they know exactly how their seeds should perform here. So they sell here, rather than trying to grow outside the area where they know their varieties of corn and soybeans will be successful.
Beck’s Hybrids Headquarters in Atlanta, Indiana.
Photo used with permission, courtesy of Beck’s Hybrids.
Beck’s Hybrids is the largest independent retail seed company in the United States. This means that they are a family-owned business – only the Becks family has any ownership of the company. And they sell directly to farmers, without going through a middle-man. Sonny Beck is the 3rd generation of the Beck family to work for the family business. He is the president and his son, Scott, is the vice-president. Scott’s brother, Tony, grows seed corn for Beck’s at one of their farms in Illinois. Beck’s Hybrids is incorporated, so technically they are a corporation. Even though there are over 400 employees, only Beck family members have any ownership in this corporation.
Now, before you think that every field where you see a Beck’s sign is owned by Beck’s Hybrids, let’s talk about how that works for just a minute. Beck’s Hybrids does own some farms where they grow corn and soybeans to become the seed that they sell next year. But most of the signs you see on the side of the road next to a field are just there as advertisement. When a farmer buys and plants Beck’s seeds, and the corn or soybeans perform well, Beck’s wants to advertise this to other farmers in the area. So they will (with the farmer’s permission), place a sign on the side of that field to tell other farmers where the seed was from. You can read a little more about those seed signs here.
Here’s the bottom line. Beck’s Hybrids sees their job as providing an excellent product (corn or soybean seed) and providing excellent customer service to their customers (farmers). By doing these two things, they are helping farmers to grow the food that we eat every day, and make a living so they can feed their own families. All this from another family-owned business!
{Indiana’s Family of Farmers sponsored the tour of Beck’s Hybrids and compensated me for my time.}
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