As growers flip through seed books to choose hybrids for the next year, soil health may not immediately come to mind as a factor. 

But Ed Baumgartner, a plant breeder and researcher and owner of Bass Hybrids, has been dedicating his time to raising conventional corn seed using older genetics — and consequently, creating a product that lines up with the needs of conservation agriculture. 

After decades of working with the largest corn seed companies in the world and witnessing how the industry standards of using high nitrogen, tillage and pesticides lead to decreased soil fertility, he started working on breeding plants for building soil health rather than depleting it. 

Baumgartner now owns and operates multiple companies that work to produce and market new genetics with natural resistances to biotic and abiotic stresses. Danube, Minn.-based Bass Hybrids is developing a loyal following with regenerative farmers as more of them look for cleaner, more resilient ways to raise corn. 

The retail business has been in operation for 9 years and is finally getting some recognition in the industry, notes Baumgartner, who is the fourth generation of family to be in the seed corn business. 

Much of the research work is done in San Isabel, Puerto Rico. It’s a very challenging environment to grow a crop in, he says, but he’s learned to utilize all the stresses found there to his advantage when breeding corn.

Baumgartner doesn’t do this alone. He’s worked closely with Kyle Klein, owner of Summit Genetics out of…