Beck’s celebrates tradition at Half Century of Progress

RANTOUL, Ill. — At the Half Century of Progress, the past and present of agriculture come together — rows of vintage iron stirring up dust in the field.

It’s a celebration of heritage and hard work, the same values that have guided Beck’s for generations.

As a proud sponsor of the show, Beck’s is excited to share its new campaign, A Home-Grown Legacy — a tribute to the family farms, deep roots and forward-looking vision that have shaped the company since 1937.

Ahead of the show, Beck’s president Scott Beck discussed the new campaign and his family’s story.

Q: What inspired Beck’s to launch the Home-Grown Legacy campaign and how do you hope it connects with the farmers you serve?

A: Every family farm has a story. In spite of differences in family members, farm size, region of the country and crops grown, farm families face many of the same challenges in their relationships and succession to the next generation.

I hope that other farm families will see themselves in our story in ways that help them to make progress in their own family story and farm succession.

Q: Beck’s has been family-owned since 1937. What does staying independent mean to you and your family and how has it shaped the way you work with farmers?

A: Staying independent means freedom, responsibility and opportunity — freedom to make decisions as a family in a responsible way that creates opportunities for farmers, for family and employees and our partners to enable us to survive and thrive long term.

Q: The campaign emphasizes building for future generations. How is Beck’s preparing to support farmers not just today, but decades from now?

A: We continue to invest in facilities and other capital investments for research, production and technology, sometimes before we need them. This allows us to better stay ahead of the growth and demand we are experiencing from farmers.

Through estate planning involving trusts, we have allowed ownership to remain in the family while reducing burdensome estate taxes for future generations.

We have a clear purpose that we continue to focus on — honor God, help others, help farmers succeed.

Q: When you look back over Beck’s history, are there any moments or milestones that feel especially meaningful in shaping the company’s legacy?

A: In the early 1990s, when consolidation in the seed industry was starting to happen, my father, Sonny, wrote a paper about the future of small- and medium-sized seed companies. In that paper, he stated that Beck’s would be a survivor and focus on helping farmers succeed.

Since then, we focused on investments in Practical Farm Research, FARMserver digital platform, improving seed quality and Escalate seed enhancements, rewarding farmers for their commitment to buy Beck’s with Commitment Rewards and customer trips, accessing diverse genetics and traits, financing to ensure farmers can better manage risk and recruiting and investing in a competent and engaged dealer force to provide exceptional local service.

All of these investments, and more, shape the value we bring to farmers to be the best value per dollar spent.

Q: What do you want your “Home-Grown Legacy” to be?

A: Faith, family and farming — to have lived in a way that inspires others to love God and love others and inspires our kids and family to want to be a part of and support our family business where we create an environment where employees and dealers can live their faith, passion and purpose as we all work to help farmers succeed.