Where Food Begins: Landi Schweigert’s Day with Andrew Heine in Vermillion

Having open conversations about food and farming with South Dakotans and the farmers who grow it is what we do. In fact, that’s what Hungry for Truth is all about. We had an exciting opportunity to connect Landi Schweigert, with Andrew Heine, a 3rd-generation farmer from Vermillion, SD, to talk about hybrid corn seed, the farm’s legacy, and the evolving role of technology in agriculture. Below, Landi shares her reflections from a beautiful afternoon on the Heine family farm.

Landi and Andrew

Growing up in Gregory, SD I’ve always been surrounded by farming and ranching. I actually grew up on a farm! We owned a lot of cattle, horses, planted alfalfa, and I have many fond memories of riding along with my grandpa in the combine, but to be honest now that I’m an adult I didn’t realize just how little I actually knew about what really goes on and how much has changed in agriculture over the years.

As I’ve grown and established a food-based business here in Sioux Falls, I’ve become increasingly interested in where our food comes from, how it’s harvested, what makes a good product, and how I can be more supportive of our agricultural leaders who quite literally put food on our tables. 

Landi cures her curiosity with where food comes from.
We find out where food comes from

I had the honor of heading down to Vermillion, SD to meet Andrew Heine of Heine Hybrid Corn Seed. When I heard “hybrid corn,” I was immediately intrigued by what this meant. I’d never heard of this before!

Meeting Andrew

Driving down the dirt road to the Heine farm was something straight out of a movie. I thought of my dad and how he always referred to the farm as “God's Country,” and in that moment, I knew exactly what it meant.

On one side of the road, there were rolling hills with a clear site of the Vermillion River, and on the other side, beautiful fields that were freshly damp from the rain the night before. I immediately noticed several different homes, large shop buildings, and tons of grain bins that were bigger than anything I’d seen before as we got closer. 

Ross walked me through their feeding system—each morning, he feeds the steers using an auger that distributes feed evenly along the bunk so every animal has a chance to eat.

Driving to the Heine farm

When we arrived, Andrew met us at the main shop, and we jumped right into the family history behind the Heine family farm. I learned that while the farm itself has been around for a very long time, the Heine’s have only been producing hybrid corn for the last four years! 

Andrew is a third-generation farmer in his family, and he works alongside his dad, uncle, and cousin—hence the houses I saw driving in. I learned that most of the family, including Andrew, graduated from Vermillion High School and then went on to college at SDSU. There was even an article on the wall about the Heine family and their Jackrabbit roots, which made me giggle since I was very clearly in Coyote Country. 

Andrew gave me a tour of his office, where tons of photographs of the farm over the years were hanging on the wall. It was truly amazing to see where it began and how much it has changed through the photographs. Andrew explained that he usually spends several hours a day in the office answering emails, making schedules for everyone (including the hired men who have been around for decades), and planning out routes for the hybrid corn seed.

Andrew tells the story of his families farming legacy.

We moved on to the shop where there were rows and rows of large crate boxes stacked to the ceiling with seed. Andrew showed us how, when they first started, the seed was bagged in a basic design and stacked on pallets , and now it has grown so much in the last few years that they’ve changed everything from the bag design to extending the shop 3 times because of growth! The shop was HUGE! With over 2000 seed customers, it has to be to hold everything!

After getting a tour of the shop, Andrew walked us over to the giant grain bins I saw when we arrived. I learned that the huge bins were a whole operation. During harvest, the corn is brought to the seed bins, where it goes through a machine that takes the corn and removes roughly 90% of the husk. Then, seasonal workers come and finish sorting and de-husking the corn.

This machine helps keep the corn kernels intact, which actually helps the embryos stay active and ultimately makes a better product for the farmers Andrew and his family sell to!

Landi observing whats inside the large bins.
See machinery located inside.

After seeing the machines, Andrew asked if I wanted to see the best view of the farm—of course I did! We climbed the stairs to the very top of the seed bins, where you could see for miles! 

I noticed some different pens that looked like they could be for animals. He told me that they usually have cattle, but it was such a good year for beef prices that they actually sold them all. He also told me that they have hogs as well. We didn’t get to see the hogs because most of them are babies, and they are very susceptible to illness if they aren’t freshly showered and completely clean before going into the barn.

Andrew showing Landi the best view of the land.

The beautiful view was captivating, and I couldn’t wait to see some of the crops up close in person. I hopped in Andrew’s truck and we headed out to the fields to check pivots. The Heine’s plant corn and soybeans, so I got to see the beans at our first stop! Andrew showed me how the seeds on soybeans grow differently from most crops, and even cooler … I learned how to move a pivot ! 

The pivots on the Heine farm are all electric and run off of the local REA power source. They are actually fully irrigated by a well fed from the river. I learned that sometimes the power to the pivots gets turned off if the power source is low (the houses in town are a priority), and then once people start going to bed around 10-11 p.m., they get the all clear to turn them back on. 

Andrew showed me his iPad, where he has satellite access to turn the pivots on right from the screen, so that he doesn’t have to go out to the field in the middle of the night.

He showed me where his areas are, and where his father's are, and told me that his dad doesn’t trust technology and prefers to go out himself. Admirable in my opinion - I’m a bear if I don’t get enough sleep! I asked how they decide between all of them who is in charge of what area task, and he stated: “We all help each other, but we each have our own roles.” Most of those roles just happened when someone needed backup.

Farming technology.
Checking the pivots.

After checking the pivots Andrew drove us to a place he said he was very passionate about. We drove through miles of corn fields and stopped at a steep riverbank. He explained to us that last year, during the flooding that happened all over eastern SD, Iowa , and NE, they actually lost over 30 acres of land.

He told me about having to get up one night and take an entire pivot (which is HUGE) apart with his dad so they wouldn’t lose it in the river. He said they were out all night! You could see where the river got so high and changed its course. I asked if he ever thought it would go back to normal, and he said that it wouldn’t, so they would need to make some adjustments to some of the land since it’s so sandy in certain areas. Losing land to a farmer is like losing your home to a house fire, and seeing it in person reminded me just how important caring for the land is.

Our final stop of the day was just a few miles down the road to one of the corn fields! It was time to learn the art of spraying crops. Before getting in the tractor, Andrew showed me his planter, which was a box planter. Each box alternates male and female corn seed. I learned that the best time for planting is April 15-30th and that when planting corn, the box helps alternate the sexes of corn. The male corn was significantly shorter than the female, and it is only used for pollinating the female corn.

Hybrid corn farming involves using seeds produced by cross-pollinating two different inbred corn lines, resulting in offspring with improved traits like higher yields and disease resistance compared to open-pollinated seeds. The hybrid seeds are created by carefully controlling pollination in a process that involves removing the female plant's tassels and allowing the male parent to pollinate it, which is what we saw at the seed bins! 

I’m a visual learner, so seeing exactly what Andrew explained in person was so helpful in understanding the process of hybrid seeds.

Andrew explaining how they lost 30 acres of land.

Our very last task of the day - spraying crops! I hopped up into the John Deere with Andrew, and he showed me all of the fancy gadgets that help make the process easier for farmers. We were able to set the lines and the steering so that the tractor stays on course and eliminates any accidental damage to crops by running them over.

Technology is so much more advanced than I remember! We drove so accurately, and as we drove Andrew showed me how the spray was being strategically placed at the base of the crop so that it prevents run off - aka safer methods and safer products for farmers to use!

Don’t worry guys, I saved the best for last. He TRUSTED me with the tractor! That’s right, your girl drove a tractor. Hand me a Diet Coke and put me in coach… I’m ready for farm life! 

In all seriousness, this was such an incredible experience. Andrew is not only a farmer, but he is also a husband to Abby (who happens to be an engineer - also so cool!) and a father of 2. His son is newly 3 and they have a 4-month-old baby girl! I’m also parent of 2 under two, so it was fun to bond over that.

I have a deeper respect for both Andrew and his family, and especially his wife, who holds down the home when the inevitable long hours come, not only during harvest but year-round as Andrew travels all over to talk to various farming communities about Heine Hybrid Corn Seed. Abby was also raised on a farm, so she isn’t new to this world and how much work goes into day operations! 

Thank you, Andrew, for being such a wonderful host and for showing me a small glimpse into your world. It truly was an honor to see the legacy that is being built. 

Landi in the tractor
A close of of the sprayer.
Landi takes the wheel.
Landi and Andrew.
Andrew Heine
Hungry For Truth

Hungry for Truth is an initiative about food and farming funded by the South Dakota soybean checkoff. The goal is to connect South Dakotans with the farmers who grow and raise their food. 

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Maesa Eschenbaum Explores Resilience and Tradition on the Tschetter Family Farm

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Karlie Solum Explores Generational Farming and Community Leadership with Drew Peterson