Company History

The Van Horn Seed Company was started in 1934 by W.C. Van Horn and his son, Lyle Van Horn. While Lyle attended Illinois Wesleyan University , he worked at the US Department of Agriculture office where he became interested in the development of hybrid seed corn. Lyle planted the first hybrid seed corn in the spring of 1934 near LaPlace on the Piatt County farm owned by his father. It produced one bushel of seed corn. In 1935, two acres were planted and in 1936 increased to 5 acres. Lyle rode a Percheron farm horse down the rows to detassel the corn. In time, machines with platforms holding 6 to 8 people were built to help the 120-150 part time young employees detassel the corn during the summer.

In 1950, Lyle Van Horn purchased his father's interest in the company and it was incorporated in 1955 as Van Horn Hybrids, Inc. with Lyle and Ruth Van Horn and Melvin Keepper as stockholders. As commercial fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides were developed, the company added these products for their customers, along with spray equipment by 1968.

When Lyle Van Horn decided to retire in 1976, he offered to sell Van Horn Hybrids, Inc. to the employees, which started one of the first Employee Stock Ownership Programs in the state of Illinois . By then, Van Horn Hybrids, Inc. had grown to a full service agricultural company including seed, fertilizer, chemicals and custom application, as well as selling Hahn Hi Boy Sprayers and providing a full parts department.

In 1988, Melvin Keepper retired and Roger Oliver became president of Van Horn Hybrids, Inc. In order to expand the service area, the company purchased a second location at Warrensburg in 1993. Over the next 10 years Van Horn continued to grow with the purchases of facilities in Dewitt in 1997, Bethany in 2000, Sullivan in 2001 and Findlay in 2004.

Van Horn, Inc. has grown into a multi-million dollar, full service retail business currently ranked number 58 in 2005 Crop Life Magazine's top 100 dealers in the United States. Still Employee-Owned, Van Horn serves Central Illinois farmers with 9 Certified Crop Advisors on staff. The company currently offers a complete line of agricultural products and professional services to their valued customers.