Company founded
1997
F.I.R.S.T. was started in 1997 by Kevin Coey. He planted 12 corn sites in Illinois, tested 64 hybrids and had 14 seed corn companies as sponsors. Since that time the program has expanded to include corn and soybean testing. Sites are planted in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the DelMarva region in Delaware and Maryland. F.I.R.S.T. stands for Farmer's Independent Research of Seed Technologies. It is an association of farmers organized to find newly developed and trait-added seed corn and soybean products that improve their grain operations.