Brian Hefty Net Worth 2026: Hefty Seed CEO and Ag PhD Host

No reputable outlet has published a net worth for Brian Hefty, the South Dakota agronomist who co-hosts Ag PhD and is CEO of Hefty Seed Company. The $16.5 million figure that used to lead this page had no source and has been removed. His wealth rests on a family business he co-owns with his brother Darren: a farm-supply company that started in 1969 and now has more than 50 stores, plus a farming operation and an agricultural media brand that has been on television for more than 25 years.

What is Brian Hefty's net worth?

There is no estimate from Forbes, Bloomberg, Celebrity Net Worth or a major newspaper. Hefty Seed Company is family-owned and does not publish revenue or profit, and the split of ownership between the brothers is not public. We therefore give no figure.

What the company says about its size helps explain why it is a significant business. According to Hefty Seed's own history page, it has more than 50 stores, ranks as the 7th largest crop protection retailer in the United States and 11th in seed, and sells its own Hefty Brand corn and soybean seed. Those are the company's own rankings.

Brian Hefty yearly earnings, monthly income and salary

The old page said he earned $800,000 a year, $33,000 a month and $1,100 a day. The monthly and daily figures did not even match the yearly one, and none of them had a source. We have removed the table. As a co-owner and CEO of a private company, his salary and share of profits are not disclosed. He also earns from the Ag PhD television and radio programs and from speaking at farm events, amounts that are likewise private.

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Hefty Seed Company history

The business began with Brian's father, Ron Hefty, who moved from a farm near Renwick, Iowa, to South Dakota in 1969. He and his wife Kathryn bought her parents' farm near Baltic. Unable to find the herbicides he had used in Iowa at a fair price, Ron began sourcing them for himself and his neighbors, and that became Hefty Farm Supply.

Sources: Hefty Seed, South Dakota Public Broadcasting (which said in 2018 that the TV show had run for 20 years and the radio show was in its fifth year) and RFD-TV.

Ag PhD: the media side

Ag PhD is the brothers' agronomy show, giving farmers practical advice on seed, fertility, weed control and planting. It airs weekly on RFD-TV and on Rural Radio Channel 147 on SiriusXM. In June 2026 RFD-TV expanded the partnership with Ag PhD Daily, a new weekday program airing from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern, premiering June 29. RFD-TV says its network reaches more than 50 million households.

Brian told Brownfield that the brothers like farmers to visit their operation because growing conditions in South Dakota differ from those in Iowa or Illinois, and that the aim is to explain why a practice works rather than to tell farmers exactly what to do.

The brothers also host an annual Ag PhD Field Day on their South Dakota farm, where they show their own research plots and equipment, Brownfield Ag News reported in 2024. In 2025 the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois, one of the country's biggest outdoor farm events, booked them for special sessions, according to American Ag Network.

What he teaches

His best-known advice is on weed control. In an October 2025 Farm Progress article, Brian urged farmers to take a zero-tolerance approach, noting that a single Palmer amaranth or waterhemp plant can produce around a million seeds. He recommends spraying weeds when they are two inches tall or less and not forgetting field edges. The company's stated core value is that its agronomists' first job is to help farmers make more money, not to sell product.

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Education and personal life

The old page said he studied at Purdue, then at "HalliburtonBaylor University" and "Benefits GroupUniversity of Arizona", and that he worked for Morton Buildings. Those claims were garbled or false, and we found no source for any of them. It also said he grew up in Indiana; Hefty Seed's history shows the family farm was near Baltic, South Dakota. The wife's name, age, height and weight on the old page were unsourced and have been removed.

How this page was checked

Company history comes from Hefty Seed. Ag PhD's history comes from SDPB, RFD-TV, Brownfield, Farm Progress and American Ag Network. Rankings and store counts are the company's own claims.