ATLANTA, Ind. – Iowa State University’s Iowa Soybean Research Center has announced Beck’s Hybrids has joined as an industry partner, providing financial support to the center.

Beck’s will have a representative serving on the research center’s Industry Advisory Council, which provides guidance on research funding priorities for the center.

“We are excited to collaborate with the Iowa Soybean Research Center and continue our long-standing dedication to helping Iowa soybean farmers succeed,” said Scott Beck, president of Beck’s.

Founded in 1937, Beck’s is the largest family-owned retail seed company and the third-largest seed brand in the United States. The Beck family and team of employees help farmers achieve success from generation to generation through authentic customer experiences, product diversity, seed quality and performance.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ind., Beck’s serves farmers throughout the Midwest and Mid-South.

“We see the benefits of the soybean research that the Iowa Soybean Research Center is conducting and are thrilled to play a small role in helping improve soybean production and sustainability,” Beck said.

Established in 2014 by Iowa State University in partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association, the research center was founded to increase soybean production and profitability for Iowa farmers through coordinated research efforts involving Iowa State University, the Iowa Soybean Association and the private sector.

“Beck’s Hybrids, founded and based in Indiana, is the largest family-owned retail seed company in the country, and they have a considerable role in serving Iowa soybean farmers,” said Greg Tylka, the center’s director and Iowa State University professor of plant pathology and microbiology.

“We recruited Beck’s to join our Iowa Soybean Research Center as an industry partner because we recognized they are a major provider of soybean seed for Iowa soybean growers,” he said. “And as such, we felt that their opinions on research needs to support soybean production in Iowa would be very valuable to us at the center.

“I am excited to have their company’s input and advice to help guide our center in making strategic investments in soybean production research here at Iowa State University.”

The center is a formal collaboration of Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Iowa Soybean Association and industry partners.

As the center’s newest industry partner, Beck’s joins AGCO, AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, Cornelius Seed, Corteva Agriscience, FMC, GDM, Innvictis/Simplot, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, Merschman Seeds, Peterson Genetics, Syngenta and UPL.

“As an industry partner of the center, Beck’s will contribute funds to the center (along with 14 other industry partners), and those industry funds will be leveraged with soybean checkoff dollars from the Iowa Soybean Association to support soybean research at Iowa State University,” Tylka said.

“Beck’s will have a representative on the center’s Industry Advisory Council (which meets in late August or early September each year), and the council provides input on research needs for soybean production in Iowa, and gives guidance on how best to invest the available funds on research projects at Iowa State University,” he added.

Ed Anderson, Iowa Soybean Association senior director of research and chair of the center’s Industry Advisory Council, said, “We welcome Beck’s support of the center and look forward to collaborating on innovative research to find ways to optimize productivity and sustainability that will benefit soybean farmers in Iowa and beyond.”

Tylka said the advisory councils will meet this fall to evaluate research concepts from Iowa State University soybean researchers.

“At the meeting, the council also may suggest research on a topic that was not specifically proposed by Iowa State researchers,” he said. “Newly-funded research projects will not be selected or announced until later this fall.”