Lessons From the Sonny Side of Seed
10/02/2025
In the September issue of Farm Journal, Clinton Griffiths shares a compelling and insightful history of Sonny Beck, the 84-year old CEO of Beck’s Superior Hybrids in Atlanta, Ind. Sonny talks about his upbringing, the daily habits and the hustle he used to make Beck’s the largest family-owned retail seed company in the country, and the third-largest seed brand.
Sonny emphasizes that, “It’s not about chasing numbers, but chasing purpose.” He accepted that he wasn’t always the smartest person, but he could outwork anyone, and uses that key trait to his advantage.
The company has grown 10% to 12% every year since 1970 and continues that trend today. Sonny is the 3rd generation of the family that has sold seed, which started small in 1910 when his grandfather bought their first 80 acres and started to sell some of their crop as seed for other farmers. In 1937, Purdue University, “began offering samples of hybrid parent seed corn to Indiana farmers… Lawrence and Francis each planted 3 acres, and the business was born.”
Now, Sonny’s son Scott, one of three sons, is the President of the company, and Sonny’s grandchildren are involved in the business as well. The business continues to expand its reach across the country into more and more states.
To read the full article on pages 24-25 of the September issue of Farm Journal, visit: https://lsc-pagepro.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=850788&p=26&view=issueViewer
A visit to Beck’s Hybrids will be one of the tour stops on Monday, November 3rd with the American Society of Agricultural Consultant’s (ASAC) Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana that runs from November 2-4. For more information about the conference, our tour stops and the extensive list of its many highly-acclaimed speakers, go to https://www.agconsultants.org/2025_annual_conference.php
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This article is the opinion and perspective of the author and may or may not be consistent with those of anyone else. Mention of specific people or items in the article is not an endorsement of the individual, the company or the organization from which it originates.
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Don Tyler
Tyler & Associates
ASAC Board Member
In the September issue of Farm Journal, Clinton Griffiths shares a compelling and insightful history of Sonny Beck, the 84-year old CEO of Beck’s Superior Hybrids in Atlanta, Ind. Sonny talks about his upbringing, the daily habits and the hustle he used to make Beck’s the largest family-owned retail seed company in the country, and the third-largest seed brand.
Sonny emphasizes that, “It’s not about chasing numbers, but chasing purpose.” He accepted that he wasn’t always the smartest person, but he could outwork anyone, and uses that key trait to his advantage.
The company has grown 10% to 12% every year since 1970 and continues that trend today. Sonny is the 3rd generation of the family that has sold seed, which started small in 1910 when his grandfather bought their first 80 acres and started to sell some of their crop as seed for other farmers. In 1937, Purdue University, “began offering samples of hybrid parent seed corn to Indiana farmers… Lawrence and Francis each planted 3 acres, and the business was born.”
Now, Sonny’s son Scott, one of three sons, is the President of the company, and Sonny’s grandchildren are involved in the business as well. The business continues to expand its reach across the country into more and more states.
To read the full article on pages 24-25 of the September issue of Farm Journal, visit: https://lsc-pagepro.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=850788&p=26&view=issueViewer
A visit to Beck’s Hybrids will be one of the tour stops on Monday, November 3rd with the American Society of Agricultural Consultant’s (ASAC) Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana that runs from November 2-4. For more information about the conference, our tour stops and the extensive list of its many highly-acclaimed speakers, go to https://www.agconsultants.org/2025_annual_conference.php
= = = = =
This article is the opinion and perspective of the author and may or may not be consistent with those of anyone else. Mention of specific people or items in the article is not an endorsement of the individual, the company or the organization from which it originates.
= = = = = = = = =
Don Tyler
Tyler & Associates
ASAC Board Member
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