Holden Foundation Seeds is an American company that specializes in the research, development, and production of patented foundation seed corn for agriculture. Foundation corn is the parent seed from which hybrids are made. Established in 1937, in

Williamsburg, Iowa Williamsburg is a city in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,346 at the time of the 2020 census. Williamsburg is known for Holden's Foundation Seeds, a foundation seed corn company, and Kinze Manufacturing, Inc., a farm imp ...

by Roland Holden, Holden was the largest independent producer of foundation seed in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

before being acquired by

Monsanto Company The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best known product is Roundup (herbicide), Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbic ...

in 1997. Today Holden's activities include the research and development of proprietary inbred lines, management of an extensive testing network, collaborations with technology developers. Holden's parent lines are used to produce hybrid seed that is planted on an estimated 35-40% of corn acres in the United States. The company's breeding program continues to develop proprietary parent lines that are licensed for use by a majority of seed corn companies in the United States and by many around the world.
Iowa State University Office of Biotechnology. "Holden's Foundation Seeds Incorporates Genetically Engineered Traits Into Corn Lines", ''Biotechnology Update'', October 1996, Accessed 2008-06-16.

References

Companies based in Iowa Monsanto {{US-manufacturing-company-stub