Cornelius Seed is an independent, family-owned seed company headquartered at 14760 317th Avenue, Bellevue, Iowa. Our address may say Bellevue but we are located on our heritage farm in the rolling hills between Andrew and Springbrook, IA. Founded in 1935, Cornelius Seed is a fifth-generation, family-owned independent seed company committed to helping Midwest farmers succeed. With access to a diverse portfolio of corn and soybean genetics, innovative seed treatments, and personalized agronomic support, Cornelius Seed delivers solutions tailored to every acre.
Our mission is simple: provide farmers with the genetics, traits, add ons, and service needed to maximize profitability on every acre.
Plant It. Profit.®
Choosing an independent, family-owned seed company gives farmers access to greater flexibility in genetics, traits, seed treatments, and personalized service.
Unlike corporate seed companies tied to a single source of genetics or technology supplier, Cornelius Seed can offer products from multiple sources. This independence allows us to focus on choosing genetics and technologies based on what fits farmers' needs rather than a single corporate product lineup. We take pride in having the right seed for the right acre.
We combine this freedom of choice with carefully managed seed quality, local agronomic knowledge, and field-specific recommendations.
At Cornelius Seed, we believe the right seed decision should be driven by your farm's profitability, not simply the brand on the bag.
Seed companies may have access to genetics from some of the same suppliers, but that doesn't mean every finished seed product is identical.
As an independent seed company, Cornelius Seed evaluates genetics and trait technologies from multiple sources to select products for Midwest growing conditions.
What makes Cornelius Seed different is our approach to selecting, producing, handling, treating, and placing seed. From gentle seed handling and conditioning practices to field-specific hybrid recommendations, we focus on the details that influence crop establishment and performance.
The genetics matter. But so does seed quality, seed treatments, and putting the right hybrid on the right acre.
That's the Cornelius Seed difference.
Cornelius Seed takes a field-specific approach to seed selection because even high-performing genetics can produce different results depending on where they're planted.
Our seed selection team considers soil type, fertility, planting date, population, drainage, crop rotation, disease pressure, yield potential, and harvest timing.
We use these factors alongside product characteristics and regional performance data to help match the right genetics to the right acre.
Our team also works with growers throughout the growing season to evaluate stand establishment, field concerns, crop performance, and opportunities for the following year.
Precision farming starts with precision seed selection.
At Cornelius Seed, seed quality starts long before seed reaches the planter.
Our documented seed-production practices focus on several important factors:
Every step is designed with seed quality in mind because healthy, uniform seed is an important foundation for emergence, stand establishment, and yield potential.
We believe the attention given to seed before planting will make a meaningful difference in crop performance.
Cornelius Seed stands behind its products through careful seed selection, personalized agronomic support, and a documented seed-substitution guarantee.
We understand that selecting the right seed for each field requires planning. If seed-production or supply circumstances require a substitution, Cornelius Seed commits to informing customers in advance and consulting with them before making a change.
Our substitution guarantee is designed to ensure changes are discussed with the grower and that the replacement is satisfactory.
Our representatives also assist customers with field concerns and the documentation of replant requests when needed. If a concern is ever the seed's fault, we take care of the issue. For concerns that are not the seed's fault, we still help diagnose what might have gone wrong and help find a solution
We believe long-term relationships are built through communication, accountability, and helping farmers make informed decisions.
Cornelius Seed offers corn hybrids with a variety of trait technologies designed to provide different options for insect management and herbicide tolerance.
Technologies represented in our product lineup include
ABOVE GROUND TRAIT PROTECTION: VT Double PRO® | DroughtGard® Hybrids with VT Double PRO® RIB Complete® Corn Blend | VT4PRO™ RIB Complete® Corn Blend | Trecepta® RIB Complete® Corn Blend | PowerCore® Enlist® Refuge Advanced® Corn
ABOVE & BELOW GROUND TRAIT PROTECTION: SmartStax® RIB Complete® Corn Blend | SmartStax® PRO RIB Complete® Corn Blend with RNAi Technology | Durastak™ | DuracadeViptera™
Each trait package has different characteristics. Not every package provides the same insect protection or herbicide tolerance.
Our representatives help farmers evaluate these options based on corn rootworm pressure, above-ground insect concerns, crop rotation, herbicide programs, and field history.
Visit our Corn Product Page to explore available hybrids and trait technologies. Always verify specific product characteristics and applicable stewardship requirements.
Cornelius Seed offers soybean varieties with herbicide-tolerant technologies, including P3 Genetics Enlist E3® and XtendFlex® options. In the future we will be offering the new herbicide-tolerant technologies of Vyconic ®, Enlist Nemasphere® and Enlist Expanse ®.
These trait platforms give growers different choices when developing weed-management programs that may involve labeled herbicides associated with brands such as Enlist®, Liberty®, and Roundup®.
Herbicide compatibility depends on the specific soybean trait technology. Growers should always verify the selected variety's herbicide tolerances and follow all applicable herbicide labels.
Our representatives can help farmers evaluate soybean herbicide-tolerant trait options alongside maturity, yield potential, disease tolerance, and weed-management goals.
Yes. Cornelius Seed offers conventional non-GMO corn hybrids and soybean varieties, along with organic corn options.
These products give farmers additional choices for conventional, non-GMO, specialty, and organic production systems.
Conventional and organic growing programs can have different seed handling, treatment, certification, and production requirements.
Farmers interested in organic production should contact their Cornelius Seed representative to confirm current product availability and applicable certification documentation.
Visit our Conventional & Organic Corn page or our Conventional Soybean page for more information.
Cornelius Seed offers corn hybrids suited to silage production and dual-purpose grain and silage uses.
Examples of hybrids listed in our product guide includes C5527, C6204SSP-RIB, C7130SSP-RIB, and C7235. These represent different maturity options and agronomic characteristics. Our hybrids are also third party tested in Wisconsin’s Silage Trials so you can view how they perform in the field.
Choosing the right silage hybrid requires evaluating more than total tonnage. Relative maturity, plant health, forage quality, digestibility, harvest timing, and growing-season conditions all deserve consideration.
Our representatives help livestock producers evaluate silage corn options based on their location, field conditions, feeding goals, and harvest-management needs.
Contact your Cornelius Seed representative to review the current lineup and determine which hybrids best fit your operation.
Yes. Cornelius Seed offers a Customized Bulk Box (CBB) program designed to help farmers put the right corn hybrid on the right acre.
Instead of ordering standard bulk boxes that may not match specific fields, farmers can customize corn bulk boxes down to the unit with a minimum of 30 units per box, depending on seed size. For example if you need 75 units then we will send you two bulk boxes one with 45 units in it and the other with 30 units.
Each box includes a customized label identifying the customer name, hybrid, seed size, field name, planting population, and number of units.
This helps farmers organize seed before planting, reduce handling time, simplify field placement, and minimize mistakes associated with planting the wrong hybrid in the wrong field.
The program is available for corn seed only. Ordering deadlines, payment requirements, and non-returnable conditions apply.
Learn more about our Customized Bulk Box Program.
Cornelius Seed emphasizes carefully selected seed treatments as an important part of protecting early-season seedling health.
Our documented corn seed-treatment approach highlights the combination of Vibrance® Cinco and Vayantis®.
Early-season soilborne pathogens such as Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia can affect corn germination, emergence, and stand establishment, particularly under challenging planting conditions.
Different pathogens require different treatment chemistries, making the selection of an appropriate seed-treatment package important.
Cornelius Seed focuses on pairing genetics with carefully selected seed treatments to help support healthy stands and crop performance.
Contact your Cornelius Seed representative to confirm the available treatment options on your selected hybrids.
Cornelius Seed offers two soybean treatment options, which are Profit Guard™ and Profit Guard Plus™. Soybean treatment assists in optimizing seeding rate, improving emergence and protecting seedlings.
Profit Guard™ (Fungicide/Insecticide) is our most popular seed treatment package providing yield protection against a broad spectrum of harmful seed and foliar insects as well as all major seedborne and soilborne fungal diseases. Inside this treatment is Vayantis®, Maxim® 4FS, Vibrance®, Apron XL® and Cruiser® 5FS
Profit Guard Plus™ (Fungicide/Insecticide/Nematicide) is a premium seed treatment that has all the benefits of Profit Guard™ plus the Victrato® nematicide to prevent damage from nematodes. It also protects against Fusarium viguliforme which causes Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), red crown rot and foliar disease suppression of septoria brown spot, frogeye leaf spot and target spot.
Cornelius Seed offers corn hybrids with different insect-protection technologies, including trait packages such as SmartStax®, SmartStax® PRO, VT4PRO™, Durastak™, Duracade™, GuardX™ and TS201.
Selecting an appropriate corn rootworm management strategy depends on field history, crop rotation, rootworm pressure, previous feeding damage, and resistance-management considerations.
Best Management Practices
In high Corn Rootworm (CRW) pressure fields, where single mode of action rootworm traits have been planted for multiple years, increased feeding has been documented. Continuous corn on corn with a single mode of action is not sustainable practice for control of CRW. To regain control of CRW populations, incorporating multiple tactics should be used.
Control Tactics
Disease and insect pressure observed this season can provide valuable information when planning next year's seed selections.
Document fields that experienced challenges such as tar spot, northern corn leaf blight, Goss's wilt, corn rootworm feeding, stalk lodging, or recurring soybean diseases.
Understanding where problems occurred and how severely they affected the crop can help guide future decisions about hybrid disease tolerance, insect traits, crop rotation, and field placement.
Cornelius Seed representatives use field history alongside documented product characteristics and local performance data to help growers evaluate potential options.
The goal is to use what you learned this season to make better-informed seed decisions for next year.
The most profitable corn hybrid isn't always the one with the highest yield potential.
Relative maturity, grain drydown, and standability can significantly affect harvest efficiency, drying requirements, and overall profitability.
When choosing hybrids, farmers should consider their harvest window, combine capacity, grain-drying capabilities, soil conditions, and the risk of delayed harvest.
A well-planned mix of maturities can help spread harvest workload. Strong standability can provide greater flexibility when harvest is delayed, while favorable drydown characteristics may help reduce grain-drying needs.
Cornelius Seed evaluates these characteristics alongside yield potential to help farmers select hybrids that fit both their fields and harvest operations.
Cornelius Seed serves corn and soybean farmers across the Midwest, including Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
Our representatives focus on helping growers select corn hybrids and soybean varieties suited to local soils, growing conditions, and management practices.
Whether you're evaluating genetics for highly productive fields or more challenging acres, our team can help determine which products may be appropriate for your growing area.
Contact Cornelius Seed at 563-672-3463 to learn more about sales coverage in your location.
You can connect with a Cornelius Seed representative by visiting our Sales Team page or calling our office at 563-672-3463.
Our District Sales Managers and local seed representatives help farmers compare products, evaluate local performance data, develop field-specific seed recommendations, and plan purchases.
Whether you're a current customer or interested in trying Cornelius Seed for the first time, we'll help connect you with someone who can assist your operation.
The latest Cornelius Seed product guides and catalogs are available online at CorneliusSeed.com/products.
Our website currently provides access to the Cornelius Seed Product Guide and the P3 Genetics Soybean Guide.
These resources help farmers explore corn hybrids, soybean varieties, alfalfa products, relative maturities, trait technologies, disease-tolerance information, and other product characteristics.
You can also use our online corn and soybean product pages to compare available selections.
For help selecting the right products for your fields, contact a Cornelius Seed representative.
Cornelius Seed provides local corn and soybean yield trial information through our online Plot Performance Results platform.
Growers can review available performance results by growing season, location, crop, and hybrid or variety.
When comparing products, we recommend evaluating multiple plots and growing seasons rather than relying on the highest yield from one location.
Look for results from soil types and management conditions similar to your farm. For corn, consider yield, harvest moisture, maturity, drydown, and standability. For soybeans, evaluate yield consistency, maturity, standability, and disease tolerance.
Our representatives can help interpret these results and identify products suited to your fields.
Cornelius Seed focuses on helping farmers maximize value per acre through carefully selected genetics, seed quality, and personalized agronomic recommendations.
Seed costs vary by product, trait package, packaging, and purchasing arrangements.
Cornelius Seed offers an Early Pay discount in September through April. Cornelius Seed offers customer purchasing programs including the Early Commitment Credit and Customer Growth Credit. These programs have specific eligibility requirements. Growth-based credits apply only to qualifying increases over previous final seed purchases.
We also provide financing information through programs involving John Deere Financial and Rabo (DLL), subject to applicable terms and approval.
Visit our Financing page or contact your representative for current pricing, purchasing programs, and financing details.
Cornelius Seed has a documented replant-reporting process to help evaluate and track field concerns.
If you experience stand loss, poor emergence, or other issues that may require replanting, contact your Cornelius Seed representative promptly.
Our team can help review the situation, discuss possible contributing factors, and document the concern using field information and supporting photographs.
Replant eligibility and any applicable replacement-seed arrangements must be confirmed with Cornelius Seed.
Ordering seed early gives farmers more time to evaluate local performance, plan field-by-field hybrid placement, and discuss available purchasing programs.
It can also provide greater opportunity to select preferred products before planting season.
If your acreage, crop plans, or product needs change, contact your representative as soon as possible. Changes, returns, and credits depend on applicable program rules, deadlines, and product conditions.
Some products, including treated soybean seed and customized corn bulk boxes, have non-returnable conditions.
If a hybrid substitution becomes necessary because of seed-production or supply circumstances, Cornelius Seed will consult with you before making the change.
Early planning and open communication can help reduce last-minute complications and keep planting season running smoothly.