Company type | Agriculture/ Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Agriculture |
Founded | Coon Rapids, Iowa (1931) |
Defunct | December 31, 2013 |
Headquarters | , United States |
Key people |
Roswell Garst, Founder Charley Thomas, Founder |
Products | Hybrid and varietal seeds |
Parent | Syngenta |
Website | Golden Harvest Seeds |
Garst Seed Company was a U.S.-based subsidiary of Syngenta that produced 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]
In 2013, Syngenta announced the retirement of the Garst seed brand. Operations ceased in 2014 and remaining Garst hybrid corn seed products were rebranded to Golden Harvest. [4]