By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH

Indiana Correspondent

ATLANTA, Ind. — Beck’s Hybrids plans to double its processing capacity of corn and soybeans as part of a $62 million investment at its Atlanta headquarters, the company announced last Thursday.

The expansion will include a new seven-story standalone soybean processing tower and five warehouses for seed and equipment storage and office space. The company will also add seed-drying equipment. Construction is expected to be completed by 2022. Beck’s plans to hire 60 new employees as a result of the expansion.

It will increase its processing capacity from 3 million to 6 million units annually over the next six years. Company officials had considered putting the new facility at its distribution center in Colfax, Iowa, before deciding on building in Atlanta, said Scott Beck, president.

“The local officials in Hamilton County and with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) were interested in incentivizing a build here, and that’s part of what contributed to (our decision),” he explained. “Indiana is our home state, and Indiana is a good place to do business. But that’s not to say that Iowa isn’t.”

Road upgrades near the Atlanta site were also a factor in the decision, Beck said. Legislators, policymakers, state and local officials, and other organizations are pro-commerce and understand the value of having businesses located in Indiana, he said.

The agriculture industry contributes more than $31.2 billion yearly to Indiana’s economy and supports more than 100,000 jobs, said Elaine Bedel, IEDC president.

“Indiana’s agriculture sector continues to strengthen and gain momentum as U.S. and international companies are choosing to locate new operations here, while Indiana companies like Beck’s are expanding here and creating more great career opportunities for Hoosiers,” she noted. “We’re seeing the industry advance alongside technology, too.

“In many cases, like Beck’s, these companies are developing the technology to advance global challenges in agriculture like food quality and security. Indiana is well-positioned to grow in this industry and to be at the forefront of creating new, innovative solutions to feed the world.”

Beck’s was offered up to $560,000 in conditional tax credits by IEDC based on the company’s job creation and investment plans. It won’t be able to claim the incentives until qualified investment has been made. Additional property tax abatements were approved by the county.

“Hamilton County is thrilled to support the expansion of Beck’s headquarters,” said Brad Beaver, county council president. “Beck’s is an important part of our community, and we are grateful for their dedication to Hamilton County and excited to be a part of their continued growth.”

Beck’s growth has doubled in size every 6.5 years since 1992, the company stated.

“These are challenging times for our customers,” Beck said. “With the environment of change we’ve been in, with larger companies merging and acquiring, it gives us quite a bit of opportunity to work with more farmers in Indiana and in our market area.

“We’ve experienced growth over the last 40 years, and that hasn’t slowed down. Farmers have shown working with a family-run business is how they want to operate.”

Beck’s is the third-largest corn and soybean seed brand in the country and is the nation’s largest family-owned retail seed company. It serves farmers in 11 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. It has 16 facilities in seven states and more than 660 employees. Beck’s said it would hire additional farmer dealers in Indiana and other states.