Season 1, Episode 1
Rooted in Legacy: How Seven Generations Built Renk Seed’s Future
The inaugural episode contains highlights from Max Renk, 7th generation to farm the Renk family acres, hosting current owners, Jeff, Alex, and Brett Renk. It is a history lesson on who we are and how we got to where we are as a seed company. Also, we’ll learn about some of the lessons previous generations taught the current owners and how those lessons are still implemented today.
Legacy that Stands the Test of Time
In farming, legacy is more than a word, it’s a way of life. For some, it may describe the passing of the farm onto the next generation, or the legacies and traditions instilled from one generation to the next. For the Renk family, legacy is the foundation of everything they do. As a proud seventh-generation independent seed company, Renk Seed has remained dedicated to the values and ideals passed down through its legacy. Remaining a 7th-generation independent seed company has been no small feat as the world of agriculture and seed has consolidated over the years. But they stand firm and are dedicated to remaining a trusted name for agriculture.
For Max Renk, 7th generation of the Renk Family business, there have been many history lessons learned on how the business was started, and where the business is headed.
Recently, Max sat down with Jeff, Alex, and Brett Renk for the inaugural episode of the “Renk Seeds of Innovation” podcast and caught a glimpse into how this 170-year-old-plus business has stood the test of time. Alex, Brett, and Jeff represent the sixth generation of the family business, which dates back to 1846 when Renk ancestors came over from Prussia.
“I’m probably the only one in the room who met William F. Renk,” says Jeff Renk. “This is truly because I’m the oldest, and he was alive when I was a child. Living on the farm, I spent a fair amount of time with him. He was very generous with his time with us youngsters,” he adds.
A Business Built on Breakthrough Moments
William F. Renk (the third generation of Renk lineage) was Jeff, Alex, and Brett’s great-grandfather, who helped to incorporate the family business with his two sons, Walter and Wilbur, as “William F. Renk and Sons.” The family farm was the first to be incorporated in the United States.
“My grandfather graduated from the University of Wisconsin at the same time that hybrid corn had been rolled out. So their opportunity was to embrace hybrid corn, to raise hybrid corn, and start selling hybrid corn. And what a great opportunity for two young men from the University of Wisconsin,” says Jeff.
...their opportunity was to embrace hybrid corn, to raise hybrid corn, and start selling hybrid corn.
Following the adoption of hybrid seed corn, Renk was propelled into a new era of agriculture. Starting in the late ‘60s, Steve, Richard, and John (the fifth generation of the Renk lineage) began taking over the family business, and the operation began taking on new opportunities again.
“The opportunity then was growth; corn acres in the state of Wisconsin went from 1 million to 4 million acres during the decade of the ‘60s and if you’re selling hybrid corn, and your customer base expands four times, right outside your back door, that’s a great way to keep your business going,” shares Jeff. At the time, each of them had a specific interest in the business, which helped to shape a model that Jeff, Alex, and Brett follow today.
Finding Strength in Family and Innovation
Navigating a family business is never easy, but for the Renk family, each member’s unique talents helped build a stronger company. Alex reflects on how their fathers, John and Richard, along with their cousin Steve, found their distinct roles: one passionate about livestock, another focused on mechanics and finance, and the third a driven salesman who put Renk Seed on the map.
“Like the previous generation, different individuals, different expertise complement each other well. And, you know, we found our niches doing something similar. It didn’t happen overnight. It takes a little time to find what you do and what you’re good at,” says Brett.
I'm most proud of our ability to work together.
“I’m most proud of our ability to work together. That groundwork didn’t happen in the last 20 years; it was developed over the last 60 years,” shares Brett. Growing up around the Renk business made their childhood summers quite different from most. While many remember family vacations with their grandparents, Brett’s memories are filled with lessons in business and the ag industry. Looking back now, he realizes just how meaningful those experiences truly were. “I remember Jeff’s eulogy for my grandfather. It wasn’t about quality time we spent going to Disney, it was about the business. We knew who he was [grandfather], what he stood for, and what that meant,” he reflects.
Each generation has come with its own shifts and focuses for the business, but Brett, Alex, and Jeff have paid close attention to the generations before them, learning, adapting, and evolving.
“For our generation, our opportunity has been genetically modified seed: seed corn, seed soybeans, and even alfalfa now,” Jeff shares. “Our generation embraced GMOs, and the necessary relationships to partner on the licensing business as part of our plan. None of this had been invented at the time that I was in school at the University of Wisconsin,” he adds.
Renk Seed has always been at the forefront of change and technology and has seen these milestones, such as the invention of hybrid seed, expansion in acres, and later GMO corn, as pivotal “disruptor” moments for the business. But ultimately, great for the business and Renk’s customers. Those have been the opportunities for each generation going forward, and are a huge part of why Renk Seed is where it is today.
Max wants to learn more: “Something I really want to hit on: working with your family. These important things are how we’ve innovated and how we’ve come forward.”
“We here at Renk Seed are blessed with other multi-generation farms, whether they are growers or dealers. And we tap into that knowledge and ask them things like “What things have you seen that have succeeded here and elsewhere that you want to pass on?” Max adds and inquires of the current owners.
“You see some farms where there’s the patriarch, and then everybody else just follows. And that’s not a great system, in my book, you have got to bring some value to your company or your farm, no matter what,” Alex responds.
...in my book, you have got to bring some value to your company or your farm...
“And experience. I like to say this: nothing like learning the right way by doing it the wrong way a couple of times. Hopefully, it won’t hurt too much and you can keep it moving,” Brett finishes.
Carrying the Legacy Forward
As the seventh generation, Max Renk looks forward to learning from the hard-earned lessons of his family. He’s eager to understand how Brett, Alex, and Jeff navigated challenges and embraced innovation, and how he will carry the Renk Seed legacy into the future.
