Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
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Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
Sokota Hybrid Producers, Inc. was a South Dakota-based agricultural cooperative that supplied hybrid seed corn to farmers in South Dakota and neighboring states. The organization traces its origins to 1924, when Clifford Franzke, an agronomist with the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, began inbreeding local corn varieties to develop hybrids suited to the regional climate. In 1942, a new hybrid seed was released to farmers, and efforts to standardize seed grading were initiated by Fred Baldridge, a retired farmer.
The cooperative formally incorporated in 1944, with 24 farmers purchasing certificates of equity to establish the organization. E.G. Sanderson served as its first president. In 1945, W.L. Davis, a vocational agriculture instructor in Brookings, became manager and oversaw construction of Sokota’s processing plant in southern Brookings. Davis remained in the position for nearly 35 years.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sokota operated one of the largest corn breeding programs in the region, reportedly exceeding the scope of similar efforts at South Dakota State University. The cooperative was sold in 1985 to North American Plant Breeders, marking the end of its independent operations.