Hoegemeyer Hybrids, a family-owned seed company at Hooper, Nebraska, is celebrating 70 years of researching and developing hybrid corn varieties that thrive in the Western Corn Belt. 

The company began in 1937 when H. Chris Hoegemeyer planted 11 acres of seed from parent stock that his son Leonard brought home from the University of Nebraska.  That fall and winter the entire crop of seed was sold.

For 70 years, the company has built on the success of those early days, when the science of producing hybrid seed corn was just beginning.  The first exclusive Hoegemeyer Hybrids variety sold was X31, which came out of studies in corn breeding made by Leonard while in graduate school at Kansas State University and the University of Missouri.

As Chief Technology Officer, Tom Hoegemeyer, Leonard’s son, who earned his PhD. in plant breeding in 1974 from Iowa State University, has continued to enhance and expand research efforts with a focus on creating hybrids that can stand up to the often tough growing conditions in the Western Corn Belt. His recent work also includes a patent for PuraMaize, a corn that can block pollen from genetically-modified corn, which will enable farmers to grow corn for specialty markets without contamination from genetically-modified corn planted in nearby fields.

CEO Stephan Becerra, one of Leonard’s grandsons, said, “We have enjoyed a long history in the seed industry only because we understand that in order for Hoegemeyer to succeed going forward, we must first work to ensure the long-term success of our customers.  Each and every day, our entire organization remains focused on enhancing our ability to be the supplier of seed that farmers can rely on most in the Western Corn Belt.”

In addition to corn hybrids enhanced with herbicide and insect protection technology, the company produces conventional corn hybrids, white and food grade yellow varieties.  Hoegemeyer also produces and sells soybeans and sorghum and partners with America’s Alfalfa and Target Seed LLC to offer premier alfalfa seed varieties for their customers in Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, western Iowa and northwestern Missouri.

Today, the 4th generation, two of Leonard’s grandsons, Becerra and Chris Hoegemeyer, executive vice president, have taken on leadership roles to improve the growth of the company and its products in the 21st century.

“Despite the increasing complexity and competitive nature of the seed industry, we feel there is a place for an independent, family-owned business to be successful.  We have access to all of the genetics and traits available in the industry and we are committed to selecting the best hybrids and providing the information farmers need to be successful in the Western Corn Belt,” Becerra said.