While Dave Heying uses the latest technologies every day to raise his crops and work with his farmer customers, he is also surrounded by nearly 100 years of history. Heying’s office in Granville, Iowa, is filled with memorabilia from his family’s eight decades as Pioneer® brand seed sales representatives. His family has items representing the early introduction of hybrid seed corn as well as those showcasing modern technologies and practices that allow producers to sustainably meet the needs of a growing world.
Heying owns Heying Ag Services with his wife, Nikki, and son, Brady, where they sell Pioneer®, the global flagship seed brand of Corteva Agriscience, along with Meridian seed tenders and crop insurance. He is the third generation of family members to sell Pioneer seed in the small town in northwest Iowa, starting with his grandfather in 1946.
How did your family get started as Pioneer sales representatives, and what has made this business continue to work so well across generations?
My grandparents, Al and Marie Heying, started selling Pioneer seed corn in the fall of 1946. Pioneer’s founder Henry A. Wallace visited their farm to welcome them to the company as farmer-dealers. They started with sorting and storing seed in their basement and garage, building a strong business over the years.
My parents, Gene and Mary Ellen, took over the business in 1978. I joined after graduating from college in 1994, then my wife Nikki and I began running the business after my father passed away in 1995. My son Brady joined the business full time in 2024, marking the fourth generation as Pioneer sales representatives.
We sell Pioneer brand corn and soybean seed and provide agronomic and other support to our seed customers, and our facility includes bulk bins and on-site seed treatment technology.
We are in our 80th season of selling Pioneer brand seeds, and we’re here to stay. We have a tremendous number of loyal, dedicated customers and have worked hard to build their trust and help them be more productive and profitable. We also have tremendous support from Corteva and the Pioneer teams, from local agronomy to the researchers and business teams in Johnston, Iowa. I wouldn’t work for any other company, it feels like the people and products are at an all-time high.
What innovations have had the most impact on crop production and farm management?
Over the past 30 years, there have been a number of new innovations that have changed how farmers raise crops. One of the most significant is the introduction and advancement of biotechnology. Starting with traits to control insects in the late 1990s, then herbicide-tolerance and now the ability to select a combination of traits that fit each producer’s needs to increase yields, reduce tillage and inputs, and be more sustainable. Corteva and Pioneer brand seed have been a leader in this area.
On the equipment side, the adoption of guidance technologies — autosteer, planter row shutoffs, advancements in spraying technologies and more — has allowed farmers to be more efficient and precise in everything they do. We can develop plans for the right seed, crop protection and fertilizer products for every acre and know that they are being planted and applied according to that plan.
Looking ahead, I am excited about the potential of biologicals. Corteva is also a leader in this research, and I look forward to what the future will bring.
How has your business evolved as technologies, management practices and farmer needs have changed?
From a business perspective, the ways we communicate and share information with customers have changed a lot. We share information through social media, text and email and have an incredible amount of data and reporting that we can use to help customers plan and make decisions for the upcoming crop year. As sales representatives, we are also constantly communicating and getting information from Pioneer agronomy teams.
We’re located in Sioux County, which is a leading livestock-producing county, and we’ve also seen growth in larger dairy farms in northwest Iowa. This has changed the landscape of crop production with more corn acres going to produce silage. We work closely with dairy teams to select silage hybrids and incorporate manure fertilizer into their cropping plans.
One thing that has stayed the same is that when I wake up each morning, I think about how I can help farmer customers be more productive with Pioneer brand seed. We also farm, so that provides a good perspective on raising crops and can share insights with customers.
What advice would you give someone considering moving or returning to Iowa?
Iowa is a great place to raise a family. There are a lot of business opportunities, whether in agriculture or other sectors. I’ve seen my family work hard and deliver on commitments to customers to build a business and provide opportunities to the next generation.
The strong infrastructure of agriculture companies in the state benefits farmers as well as business owners. Pioneer brand seed is celebrating its 100th anniversary of its founding in 2026. That is a strong history and one of the leading global brands that is Iowa-based and U.S. owned.
Please give us three recommendations of things to do or places to visit in Iowa.
I am baseball fan, so the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville is a must-see. Here in Granville, we have our own Vosburg field which was the home of Spalding Catholic baseball for many years. While the school is no longer open, we still host baseball games and tournaments at the historic field.
Visit the Iowa Great Lakes at Okoboji. During the summer, take a boat out to enjoy the water, or visit Arnold’s Park area for shopping, amusement park rides or the summer concert series.
There are a lot of great opportunities for live music across the state. Our favorite band is Iowa’s own The Nadas, and we try to see them a few times a year.
Published December 2025