At the 2026 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, TX, we sat down to celebrate one hundred years of innovation with Pioneer.
During Segment One of the Friday, February 27th, 2026 episode of Agriculture of America (AOA), we talked about the history and origins of what was originally called the Hi-Bred Corn Company. Dean Podlich, R&D Digital Seeds Platform Leader at Pioneer, joined us to discuss what he has uncovered over the last several years of while working to digitize much of Pioneer’s historical documents and information and he has written a book on Pioneer’s history.
During Segment Two, we discussed the past, present and future of innovation when it comes to Pioneer corn. Brandon Walter, U.S. Marketing leader for Pioneer corn, sat down with us for a look back and at what’s to come for the company.
In Segment Three, we are joined by Dean, Brandon and Chris Pritchett, US Portfolio Marketing Leader – Pioneer Soybeans. Pioneer was started as a seed corn company but today they also have many other crops in their portfolio, including soybeans, sorghum and canola. We sit down with those three team members of Pioneer to learn about the advancements and what’s in the pipeline.
Finally in Segment Four, Pioneer agronomists bridge the gap between what happens in the lab and what happens in the field. In the early days, that guidance might have been a simple conversation over a farm fence. Today, it might involve satellite imagery and data analytics. During Commodity Classic 2026, as we celebrate 100 years of Pioneer, we have a conversation about agronomy at the company and what lies ahead as Dean Podlich and Trent Brisby, Agronomy Innovation Marketing Manager, joined us for the final segment of Agriculture of America. Learn more online at https://www.pioneer.com.
