John Hoffbeck

John Hoffbeck was a long-time Pioneer corn breeder who developed many inbred lines that were highly successful commercially - lines that brought increased stalk strength, tolerance to high plant density and higher yield to corn growers in the northern United States, Canada and parts of Europe. One line, G3Y6, was used in several hybrid pedigrees that collectively sold more than 40 million units of seed.

He worked for four years as a tobacco breeder for the U.S. Department of Agriculture before joining Pioneer as a corn breeder at Tipton, Ind. He held positions of Research Center manager, research coordinator, research director and, most recently, research fellow - while actively managing a corn breeding program during all of his nearly 37 years with Pioneer.

Hoffbeck received the Genetic & Plant Breeding Award for Industry from the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders in 2003 and the DuPont Lavoisier Medal for Technical Achievement in 2003. The award recognizes the highest level of scientific and technical excellence at DuPont.