Ron Hefty came to South Dakota in 1969 after farming near Renwick, Iowa with his family. Ron and his wife Kathryn bought her parent’s farm near Baltic, SD. The problem was Ron had 3 favorite herbicides on his farm in Iowa, yet he couldn’t find 2 of those herbicides in South Dakota, and the other one was terribly overpriced. Ron used this obstacle as an opportunity, sourcing products from Iowa for
himself and his neighbors. Ron changed the name to Hefty Seed Company in 1984. In the early 1990’s, sons Brian (1991) and Darren (1993) entered the operation full-time. About the same time, Hefty Seed Company began to add branch locations. Things have grown significantly since then, as Hefty Seed Company will open its 39th store in late 2015. The company is now the 8th largest crop protection retailer in the U.S. and number 12 in seed. The Hefty Brand Soybean line is one of the fastest-growing seed brands in the country, and Hefty Seed Company is known as an industry leader for agronomic recommendations and in training agronomists. Here are Hefty Seed Company’s core values:
1. To help farmers do more themselves in their operations to increase profits.
2. The Hefty agronomy staff’s number one job is NOT to sell product. It is to help farmers earn more money in their operations.
3. While higher yields and greater profits are definitely important, the goal at Hefty Seed Company is to help farmers improve their land and the environment through better agronomic practices.
