WHO WE ARE
Founded in 1980 by Dr. Francis Glenn, Glenn Seed is a family owned and operated corn breeding and foundation seed company that is nestled among fruit farms on the north shore of Lake Erie near Blenheim, Ontario, Canada. We breed, research and develop parent corn inbred lines for use by seed companies who produce hybrid corn for sale to farmers. All of the Leafy and Floury Leafy Corn Silage Hybrids in the marketplace are connected to our breeding program.
President's Message
Thank you for choosing to grow a Leafy or Floury Leafy Corn Silage Hybrid. As a corn breeder who grew up on a dairy farm, I know that feed is your largest expense and that the yield and quality of the forage you harvest each autumn plays a vital role in the health of your cows, the quantity and quality of the milk they produce, and your bottom line.
I began breeding corn plants with the Leafy gene in the 1980s soon after I founded Glenn Seed Ltd. This gene produced large plants with enormous ears and generated a lot of excitement in the breeding community. It took most of a decade to integrate this gene into the materials that I had in my program, to purify them and to create hybrids with excellent agronomics. While initially enthusiastic, other breeders moved away from this material because its kernels were too moist and too fragile for the grain market. Its stalks were too soft for late season harvest. It was in these same plant characteristics that I saw the opportunity for a unique silage-specific product type. In the decades since, we have dedicated our entire breeding program to the development of silage-specific corn hybrids for the complex agronomic and nutritional requirements of the dairy. Leafy Corn Silage Hybrids have been serving dairies across North America, Europe, Australasia and South America for more than 30 years and Floury Leafy Corn Silage Hybrids have been making milk for 15 years.
High quality silage is the foundation of success on a dairy. I hope that our silage products bring value and peace of mind as you focus on making high quality milk.
Thank you for your valued business,
Dr. Francis Glenn
President
What We've Achieved
After 40+ years in business, we've got a lot to be proud of:
Our germplasm is unique in the industry. This is the result of more than 35 years (or 70+ plant generations) of uninterrupted breeding for silage-specific characteristics.
We are the only foundation seed corn company in Canada.
We have the most advanced Leafy silage breeding program and one of the most advanced silage testing programs in the world.
We have 24 commercial inbred parent lines that are currently being used as one or both parents in 116 commercial hybrids across the temperate regions of the world.
Our products are grown on approximately 500,000 acres annually.
Dr. Francis Glenn making observations in a yield trial.
bio:
Dr. Glenn was raised on a small dairy farm on Amherst Island in Lake Ontario. He received his Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from the University of Guelph, specializing in Crop Science and proceeded on at Guelph to obtain a Master’s degree in Corn Physiology and a Ph.D in Corn Breeding. He was named "Breeder of the Year" in 2015 by the CSGA.
“Glenn is recognized as a true visionary in breeding hybrid corn. He developed the world’s first leafy corn varieties three decades ago, and has numerous other breakthroughs in breeding corn varieties for silage under his belt.”