DeKalb Genetics Corporation DeKalb Genetics Corporation DeKalb Genetics Corporation (often stylized DEKALB; formerly DeKalb Agricultural Association and DEKALB AgResearch) was a diversified company headquartered in DeKalb, Illinois that marketed agricultural seeds and other products. The company was best known for its leading role in the development of hybrid corn and for its "winged ear" logo. DeKalb Genetics Corporation was purchased by the Monsanto Company in 1998. The DeKalb seed business, the DEKALB brand and the winged ear logo are now owned and managed by Monsanto. The history of DeKalb Genetics Corporation can be traced back to the Farm Bureau county organization, founded in
Monsanto was the first method for the catalytic production of pure chiral compounds. Knowles' team designed the "first industrial process to chirally synthesize an important compound"—L‑dopa, which is used to treat Parkinson's disease. In 2001, Knowles and Ryōji Noyori won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In the mid-1960s, chemists at Monsanto developed the Monsanto process for making acetic acid, which until 2000 was the most widely used production method. In 1964, Monsanto chemists invented AstroTurf (initially ChemGrass). In the 1960s and 1970s, Monsanto was a producer of Agent Orange for United States Armed Forces operations in Vietnam, and settled out of