The average yield in 1932 was 26.5 bushels per acre, he says. Today, we average 140 bu. per acre. We grow much more corn on fewer acres. We re more efficient. Still, he concedes being a plant breeder isn t always easy.
Breeders deal with tens, hundreds, thousands of lines, keeping huge amounts of data.
During pollination, Hallauer works seven days a week. I ve had one day off in the last month, he says. But we re almost done with pollination now. He knows the work is important. And he knows although transgenic plants and biotechnology are important, they won t replace what he does.