ATLANTA, Ind. – Beck’s has acquired corn and soybean seed production facilities in Indiana and Illinois from Gro Alliance, a move that will allow Beck’s to better meet the needs of its growing customer base with greater reliability, the company’s president said.

The corn seed production facility is in Howe, Ind., and the soybean facility is in Mt Pulaski, Ill. Beck’s also acquired Gro Alliance’s corn drying facility in Mt. Pulaski. In addition, the Atlanta, Ind.-based company assumed Gro Alliance’s lease on 80,000-square-feet of warehouse space in Sturgis, Mich.

The transaction closed Feb. 26. 

“These facilities are world-class and align seamlessly with Beck’s existing network and vision for strategic expansion,” Scott Beck, Beck’s president, told Farm World. “These acquisitions are a perfect fit for Beck’s and demonstrate an investment in fulfilling our purpose to help farmers succeed and provide exceptional service.

“The expansion is poised to benefit customers by enhancing Beck’s seed production and processing capabilities, ensuring access to high-quality seed products. The strategic locations of the Howe and Mt. Pulaski facilities complement Beck’s existing operations.”

The company plans to begin operations at the corn and soybean facilities this spring, he noted. “We are confident that these facilities will have a positive and immediate impact on operations in the near term given how they will strengthen our operational capacity, product availability, and logistics capabilities,” Beck said.

In a statement, Gro Alliance said it will retain field production in the Howe/Constantine, Mich., area. Seed grown there will be dried locally and moved to its Cuba City, Wis., headquarters for conditioning, packaging and distribution, the company said. Gro Alliance said it will also retain its seed nursery station in Mt. Pulaski.

“This is one of those rare, triple-win deals,” Jim Schweigert, president of Gro Alliance, said in a statement. “The employees, contractors and growers at each site will transition to another strong, future-focused, family-owned company. Beck’s gains outstanding facilities in prime growing regions, and Gro Alliance retains key operations and secures resources to invest in our strategic growth initiatives.”

Beck said Gro Alliance is widely recognized as one of the country’s top seed producers.

“The teams and facilities at Howe and Mt. Pulaski are world-class,” he said in a statement. “These acquisitions are a perfect fit for our network and represent an investment in our mission to deliver the best seed products to farmers with the service they deserve.”