At Wyckoff Hybrids, our “Faith, Family, Farming” logo is more than just words. It represents a way of life going back to when our company was founded, and one that continues today. We are a regional, independent, family owned seed company that takes great pride in producing high quality seed.

Our story begins in 1903, when George Bayard Wyckoff moved to the Valparaiso, IN area and purchased 200 acres of farmland. He raised corn and cattle for fourteen years before retiring and renting the land to a neighbor. In the meantime, George Bayard Wyckoff’s son, Louis Kenyon Wyckoff (known as “LK”), attended Purdue University, graduating with a degree in animal husbandry. After several years working as a truck salesman, LK was able to save enough money to begin farming his dad’s land in 1927. He soon became interested in the emerging field of hybridizing seed corn. When he approached a Purdue extension agent about the possibility of producing hybrid seed, the agent told him it was too complicated for an ordinary person to understand. Never one to back down from a challenge, LK persevered and established Wyckoff Hybrids in 1932.

LK’s sons, James (Jim) and John, shared their father’s love of farming and the seed industry. Both attended Purdue, majoring in agronomy and also taking classes in genetics. After college, they returned to help with the growing family business, and Wyckoff Hybrids became Wyckoff Hybrids, Inc. In 1963, tragedy struck. LK, an avid pilot, was killed when a plane he was flying crashed into Cloud Peak in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains during a hunting trip. Although young, Jim and John rose to the challenge of leading the company, and Wyckoff Hybrids continued to grow. Christian Goetz joined the company in 1969, as a fifteen year old doing odd jobs in his free time. He went on to study agricultural economics at Purdue, returning to join both the company and the Wyckoff family by marrying Jim’s middle daughter, Christine Wyckoff. Jim’s son, James Kenyon (Ken), also returned to the family farm and business after earning an agronomy degree from Purdue in 1981. In 1993, Jim Wyckoff passed away following a battle with cancer. Jim’s death marked a plateau in business. Sales remained steady in both the retail and wholesale markets, but there was little growth over the next several years.

Wyckoff Hybrids entered its current era of growth and development as the next generation joined the family’s operation, bringing new energy to the business. In 1999, Chris Goetz’s oldest son, Matthew Goetz, after attending Purdue, returned to the farm as sales, product, and production manager. Under his direction, sales began to rise, and the company began to put more emphasis on retail sales, instead of just focusing on wholesale production. In 2001, Chris’ second son, Luke, after attending Purdue, became the company’s sales manager. Matt also oversaw significant advances in Wyckoff’s product line. In 2001, they entered Wyckoff Hybrids seed in the Purdue Yield Trials with excellent results. Increased marketing, a focus on retail sales, and growing brand recognition from the Yield Trials led to a 60% growth in sales in just two years. Nathaniel Goetz, Chris’ fourth son, after attending Purdue, joined the team in 2008. With the broadening of our sales area and growth, we extended outside the family and found some incredible people to fill District Sales Manager roles. After attending Purdue, Ken Wyckoff’s sons Adam and Jacob joined the business in 2010 and 2014, respectively, working in production. In 2022, the family legacy continued by starting the first of the sixth generation of farming and fifth generation at Wyckoff Hybrids.

With continued growth, upgrading was inevitable, so we added a brand new green sort setup in 2012 and our new seed conditioning tower in 2014. We’ve made 4 separate warehouse expansions from 2002 – 2018. In 2023, needing to streamline our seed corn harvest substantially, we completed our state-of-art seed dryer. With all of these advances, it shows Wyckoff Hybrid’s commitment to our longevity and to provide the best quality seed in the industry.

Although many aspects of the seed business has changed since Wyckoff Hybrids was founded in 1932, we have never wavered from LK Wyckoff’s vision. Wyckoff Hybrids continues to handle all aspects of seed growing, processing, and production in-house. As a regional, independent, and family-owned seed company, this truly sets us apart in an industry dominated by large corporations driven by profits. With over ninety years of success, outstanding, passionate and committed people, we look forward to serving you with the best possible products and local support to help you succeed in your farming operation.

“The Goal when we first produced hybrid seed corn in 1932, was the production of Better Corn For Better Farmers…continued successful operation, is certain to be based on superior and careful breeding and continued improvements…that is the established goal of Today and Tomorrow,” – LK Wyckoff