Wyffels Hybrids celebrates anniversary, provides diversity to farmers

BOONE, Iowa — The agronomy zone at the Farm Progress Show gave farmers the opportunity to examine several Wyffels Hybrids corn products growing in the demonstration plot.

“The agronomy zone is something new for us this year,” said Tim Birkel, director of marketing for Wyffels at the company’s booth during the show.

“This gives our customers the opportunity to see our products firsthand and look at the ears up close,” he said. “One of the main reasons people stop by our booth is to see our hybrids in action.”

Wyffels launched 16 new products this year across various trait platforms.

“We are excited to have that diversity as an independent company,” Birkel said. “We are able to bring all types of different technology for whatever works best for the farmer.”

The company offers hybrids that range from 93- to 117-day maturities.

“We have a suite of products that covers the needs of all our customers throughout our geography,” Birkel said.

“We have moved into the No. 1 spot for non-GMO hybrids in the area that we are marketing,” he said. “I think that is a testament to our independent choice — we are going to put what the farmer needs on his acre.”

Wyffels seed representatives help farmers with their decision-making process when selecting hybrids.

“Things like corn rootworm traps on their farms to help them figure out if they need that trait or not,” Birkel said. “And if they are willing to do the work it takes to plant a non-GMO hybrid and save on seed costs.”

During Wednesday evening of the three-day Farm Progress Show, Wyffels celebrated its 80th anniversary with a customer appreciation event at the company’s production facility in nearby Ames.

“There are hardly any independent seed companies left,” Birkel said. “And now Wyffels is the No. 3 brand in the central Corn Belt, behind Pioneer and DeKalb.”

The event featured tours of the agronomy plots, a taping of the Cyclone Fanatic live podcast and a meet-and-greet time with the Iowa State University men’s and women’s wrestling teams.

“Last time we had an event, we had over 700 people show up,” Birkel said.

The Illinois-based company made some big announcements this year with its expansion into eastern Nebraska and western Indiana.

“That is something we don’t do very often,” Birkel said.

“The way Wyffels does expansion is very thorough,” he said. “There has been a lot of work from a lot of people all throughout the organization to make sure that when we get there, the customers in the new areas get to experience products that have gotten us to where we are today.”

The company is focused on making sure its products are supplied to all of the customers in the same way.

“That is what our Ames facility enabled,” Birkel said. “We have the infrastructure, so that we can expand our geographic footprint.”

For Wyffels, the goal is to sell corn hybrids to farmers that plant in high-productivity acres.

“If you look at a map of where the highest-productivity acres are, you will see that it is very similar to our footprint,” Birkel said. “Although there are still some pockets that we could look at in the future for expansion.”

“There is a demand for an independent choice and that is what we are here to do — to provide farmers with more than a couple of choices,” the director of marketing said. “We spend a lot of time, effort and research to make sure our products perform just as well as any other company.

“Having a strong, independent brand is important to the American farmer,” he said. “We are not biased one way or another. We are just bringing the best hybrids for them.”