Crow's Slick Chick Tapestry

The early 1920s saw many corn hybridization attempts, but since basic genetic theory was inadequate at the time, it took well over a decade before they could be considered successful. When corn hybrids finally became commercially available, farmers were still reluctant to adopt them, but thanks to hybrid innovators like A. F. Crow, that began to change as demonstrations and field observations were held. By the mid-1940s, demand exceeded production and the new hybrid seed industry was up and running. Thanks to hybrid seed, today’s farmers are able to produce 20% more corn on 25% fewer acres than they did a century ago, which might explain why more than 95% of corn planted today is a hybrid variant.