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Henry Agard Wallace, the Iowa Corn Yield Tests, and the Adoption of Hybrid Corn

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  • Richard C. Sutch

Abstract

This research report makes the following claims: 1] There was not an unambiguous economic advantage of hybrid corn over the open-pollinated varieties in 1936. 2] The early adoption of hybrid corn before 1937 can be better explained by a sustained propaganda campaign conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the direction of the Secretary of Agriculture, Henry Agard Wallace. The Department's campaign echoed that of the commercial seed companies. The most prominent hybrid seed company, Pioneer Hi-Bred Company, was founded by Wallace and he retained a financial interest while serving as Secretary. 3] The early adopters of hybrid seed were followed by later adopters as a consequence of the droughts of 1934 and especially 1936. The eventual improvement of yields as newer varieties were introduced explains the continuation and acceleration of the process.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard C. Sutch, 2008. "Henry Agard Wallace, the Iowa Corn Yield Tests, and the Adoption of Hybrid Corn," NBER Working Papers 14141, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14141
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard Hornbeck, 2012. "The Enduring Impact of the American Dust Bowl: Short- and Long-Run Adjustments to Environmental Catastrophe," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(4), pages 1477-1507, June.
    2. Richard Sutch, 2011. "The Impact of the 1936 Corn Belt Drought on American Farmers' Adoption of Hybrid Corn," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Climate Change: Adaptations Past and Present, pages 195-223, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Anacleto Sosa-Baldivia & Guadalupe Ruiz Ibarra, 2018. "Inadequate Nitrogen Fertilization: Main Cause of the Low Seed Yield on the Chia Crop (Salvia hispanica L.)," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 2(1), pages 2255-2256, January.
    4. Richard Sutch, 2010. "The Impact of the 1936 Corn-Belt Drought on American Farmers’ Adoption of Hybrid Corn," Working Papers 201002, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2010.
    5. William A. Brock & Steven N. Durlauf, 2010. "Adoption Curves and Social Interactions," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 8(1), pages 232-251, March.
    6. Tiago Luiz Luz Leiria, 2018. "How to Approach the Patient with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation and Cha2ds2-Vasc Score of 1," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 2(2), pages 2525-2527, February.
    7. Keith Meyers & Paul Rhode, 2020. "Yield Performance of Corn under Heat Stress: A Comparison of Hybrid and Open-Pollinated Seeds during a Period of Technological Transformation, 1933-1955," NBER Working Papers 27291, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Michael J. Roberts & Wolfram Schlenker, 2011. "The Evolution of Heat Tolerance of Corn: Implications for Climate Change," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Climate Change: Adaptations Past and Present, pages 225-251, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Dra Mirta D’Ambra, 2018. "Mother Cells Advances in Regenerative Medicine," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 2(2), pages 2514-2515, February.
    10. Alessandro Muscio & Roberta Sisto, 2020. "Are Agri-Food Systems Really Switching to a Circular Economy Model? Implications for European Research and Innovation Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-15, July.
    11. Alston, Julian M. & Pardey, Philip G. & Ruttan, Vernon W., 2008. "Research Lags Revisited: Concepts and Evidence from U.S. Agriculture," Staff Papers 50091, University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics.
    12. Keith Meyers & Paul W. Rhode, 2020. "Yield Performance of Corn under Heat Stress: A Comparison of Hybrid and Open-Pollinated Seeds during a Period of Technological Transformation, 1933–55," NBER Chapters, in: Economics of Research and Innovation in Agriculture, pages 107-129, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    JEL classification:

    • N12 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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