ATLANTA, INDIANA, US — Beck’s Hybrids announced on Aug. 23 that it has purchased the Bayer soybean seed production and processing plant in Beaman, Iowa, US.

The Atlanta-based company said the facility will provide it with soybean seed processing capabilities and additional warehousing.

“At Beck’s, we base our growth and acquisition strategy and decisions with a focus on helping farmers succeed,” said Sonny Beck, chief executive officer of Beck’s. “As we continue to expand into new states and grow our customer base, our family of employees and farmer-dealers remain dedicated to providing exceptional localized service. This new facility will allow Beck’s to maximize efficiency, stay ahead of demand, and deliver products faster.”

Ten of the former full-time Bayer employees have been hired by Beck’s to continue operations at the Beaman facility, allowing a seamless transition this fall and winter to ensure soybean seed is ready for spring 2022 planting, the company said.

The facility features approximately 30,000 square feet of warehousing and is configured with all the modern equipment necessary for Beck’s to process and treat 1 million units of soybeans per year. In addition to the new facility in Beaman, Beck’s has three other permanent locations in Iowa, including a processing and distribution facility in Mount Pleasant, a research facility in Marshalltown, and a distribution and Practical Farm Research (PFR)® site in Colfax.

“Situated 15 minutes north of our Marshalltown, Iowa, facility and approximately an hour northeast of our Colfax location, the addition of this new facility will take the pressure off of our distribution channels,” Beck said. “More importantly, it will help us ensure we are fulfilling our customer’s soybean needs quickly and efficiently. We’re excited to put down roots in Beaman and for the opportunity to provide our growing family of customers with more regionally selected, grown, and processed soybeans.”

As the largest family-owned retail seed company in the United States, Beck’s has seen tremendous growth over the past several decades and has doubled in size in the past six years alone. Today, Beck’s is the third-largest corn and soybean brand in the United States.