In 1930, Garst & Thomas Hybrid Corn Company was founded in Coon Rapids, Iowa, and from 1930-1945, U.S. corn growers went from planting no hybrid seed corn to planting it on 100% of their acres. In 1955. Garst sold hybrid seed to the Soviet Union and played a role in improving US-Soviet communication.

In 2013, Syngenta announced the retirement of the Garst seed brand. Operations ceased in 2014 and remaining Garst hybrid corn seed products were rebranded to Golden Harvest.