WE’VE COME A LONG WAY

When Allen and Rachel Baird started selling Pioneer^® seed in 1973, they handled all the seed without the use of fork trucks. “We did it all by hand,” says Allen, “and look at us now.”

The agency has grown steadily since then, and the Bairds’ daughter, Betsy Wallis, joined the team in 2012. Along with Allen’s brother and nephews, the Bairds raise non-GMO corn and soybeans on a fifth-generation farm.

The Baird family has been growing Pioneer seed since the 1950s. “We ran detasseling crews for 30 years,” says Rachel. “I’ll bet there are a lot of folks on the north side of Indianapolis who still remember detasseling for Baird Farms.”

Allen Baird is also the pilot of the Pioneer hot air balloon and has flown in countless Pioneer events and field days over the years.