Garst Seed Company
 | |
| Type | Agriculture/Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | Coon Rapids, Iowa (1931) |
| Headquarters | Slater, Iowa, United States |
| Key people |
Roswell Garst, Founder Charley Thomas, Founder |
| Products | Hybrid and varietal seeds |
| Parent | Syngenta |
| Website | Garst Seed Company |
Garst Seed Company is a U.S.-based subsidiary of Syngenta that produces hybrid seeds for agriculture.
In 1931, Garst and Thomas Hi-Bred Corn Company was founded by Roswell Garst and Charley Thomas in Coon Rapids, Iowa, and was "instrumental in promoting the use of hybrid corn."[1] During the Cold War, Garst formed a relationship with Nikita Khrushchev and assisted the USSR in modernizing its corn production.[1]
In 1983, the company split up and Garst Seed Company was formed.[1]
In 1985 Garst was acquired by Imperial Chemical Industries's American subsidiary.[1]
In 1993, ICI sold off its North American assets, and Garst seed business became part of a new company called Zeneca.[1]
In 1996 Garst became part of Advanta Group, formed through the merger of Zeneca Seeds and VanderHave.[1] Zeneca became part of AstraZeneca and VanderHave was controlled by a Dutch farmer-owned co-operative called Cosun U.A.[2]
In 2004 Astrazeneca and Cosun sold Garst to Syngenta.[1][3]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Dinger, Ed. "Garst Seed Company, Inc.". Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ↑ Bijman, J. (2001). Advanta: Worldwide challenges. AgBioForum, 4(1), 34-39.
- ↑ Staff, Farm Futures. May 12, 2004 Syngenta Buys Garst Seed Company