ATLANTA, Ind. — What was a large, muddy pad of dirt a little more than a year ago is now the foundation under a multipurpose, two-story building at Beck’s Superior Hybrids north of Indianapolis – just in time for the company’s Diamond Anniversary.

Seventy-five years after father and son Lawrence and Francis Beck started the company with a few acres of hybrid seed corn from Purdue University, Beck’s officials eagerly showed off the new research and meeting building, as well as other work on the ever-developing Atlanta campus, during a media day in late June.

This is all part of a $20 million-plus expansion slated through 2014, which also includes adding more storage for Beck’s corn, soybean and wheat seed, a $1 million upgrade to seed treating equipment and converting existing maintenance space for office employees.

“It’s not uncommon to see guys out with measuring tapes (in existing office space) to see where they’re going to fit someone else,” said Paul Compton, a Beck’s sales consultant, while giving a tour of headquarters and talking about recent new hires.

Vice President Scott Beck announced the company will add a soybean processing tower to the campus in 2015, designed to relieve load on the main tower, which will then concentrate on corn alone. Right now, Beck’s is adding seed storage to that tower in the form of a block of 114 8-by-10-foot bins, for the seed to be immediately processed.

Most recently, the company purchased 290 acres of farmland in London, Ohio; the location may sound familiar to devotees of the Farm Science Review (FSR) each September, which takes place near there.

“The location is ideal in terms of distribution,” Beck said, explaining the company should start doing that in 2014.

Illinois is also a state of growth for Beck’s. A year ago, it purchased the Pfister Seeds property in El Paso, which had a corn plant not in use and a warehouse leased to Dow, among other desirable facilities. “That’s exactly what we needed in central Illinois, was a corn processing facility,” Beck said.

This site, along with Beck’s properties in nearby Downs and Pontiac, form a “hub” for the company to expand in the central part of the state, including a small processing plant in El Paso for Beck’s Great Harvest Organics brand of seeds.

The company plans to use some of the Ohio site to expand its Practical Farm Research (PFR), too, and make these plots available for education to FSR attendees beginning next year. Beck’s already has four PFR sites in Indiana and Illinois, as well as PFR Partners – customers who agree to track data on small research plots on their own farms. These consist of research into fungicide use, nitrogen application rate and hybrid growth studies, to name a few.

Beck explained the company determines the direction of the (mostly corn) studies according to its needs, but does accept ideas from farmer-customers. Those interested in participating may contact the company to see if their fields qualify, and to view locations of this and past years, go to www.beckshybrids.com /research/2011/2011_farmerplots.aspx

Partly due to the PFR work, the American Seed Trade Assoc. (ASTA) honored company President Sonny Beck with its Honorary Member Award last month. Honorary members have distinguished themselves in many ways – through leadership, vision and service, stated the ASTA.

“Honorary members truly represent the best of the best,” said Mike Gumina, ASTA chair and vice president of production, safety, health and environment/risk management for Pioneer Hi-Bred.

“Sonny has become a much-beloved living legend in this business. As president of Beck’s Superior Hybrids, his business philosophy emphasizes quality, service and the importance of agronomic research to the future well-being of the American farmer. Most importantly, Sonny is a farmer.”

ASTA added Beck has been supportive of it and a key player in the organization. He has served in numerous ways, including Soybean Seed Division chair, Central Regional vice president, president from 2002-03 and on the First-the-Seed Foundation board of directors.

Last year, the company initiated a drive to raise money for the Beck Foundation’s We Care for Orphans Adoption Fund, by giving away a custom-designed Orange County Chopper (which it did earlier this year at the Commodity Classic in Nashville, Tenn.). That effort raised more than $85,000 to help pay fees for more than 20 families to adopt children.

This year, the company is selling chances to win a limited edition black-and-gold 2012 Camaro Panther, the first off the line of only 100 manufactured by General Motors, said Beck.

The sports car was first displayed by Beck’s at this year’s Indy 500, and will be on tour at various shows through next May, when the winner will be announced at the 2013 Indy 500.

Beck’s goal is to raise at least $100,000 this year.

Visit www.beckshybrids.com/wecare or call 317-984-1134 to see where the car will be on display and details of purchasing chances to win it, or to learn more about or donate directly to the adoption fund, visit www.wecarefor orphansfund.org