Celebrating a century of pioneering hybrid seed

Local Pioneer rep Greg Bonifas talks about the company’s 100-year anniversary

  • Pioneer seed representative Greg Bonifas, left, and his son Grant, stand out front of their facility north of Aurora along Highway 14. Bonifas celebrated his 25th anniversary with the company last year and is helping Pioneer celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026.
    Pioneer seed representative Greg Bonifas, left, and his son Grant, stand out front of their facility north of Aurora along Highway 14. Bonifas celebrated his 25th anniversary with the company last year and is helping Pioneer celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026.
  • Henry A. Wallace founded a company called Hi-Bred Corn Company in Des Moines, Iowa in 1926 to bring scientific advancements in hybrid corn to farmers. Nine years later in 1935 the company was renamed Pioneer Hi8-Bred Corn Company and became the world’s first and largest hybrid seed producer. Wallace would go on to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and later as vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    Henry A. Wallace founded a company called Hi-Bred Corn Company in Des Moines, Iowa in 1926 to bring scientific advancements in hybrid corn to farmers. Nine years later in 1935 the company was renamed Pioneer Hi8-Bred Corn Company and became the world’s first and largest hybrid seed producer. Wallace would go on to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and later as vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    This year the Pioneer seed company celebrates 100 years of pioneering hybrid seed corn and other crops. In 1926 plant breeder Henry A. Wallace introduced his Copper Cross corn hybrid which set a new standard for corn yield and performance and helped usher in a new era in farming. Working with Pioneer for a quarter of the time it has been around is Pioneer seed representative Greg Bonif...

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