The DeKalb® brand winged ear logo became one of the world’s most widely recognized agricultural trademarks, while retaining the iconic image of a flying ear of corn first conceived in 1935 in DeKalb. The original concept is credited to DeKalb Agricultural Association founder Tom Roberts Sr., who believed that increased yields from newly developed DeKalb® hybrid corn would help lift farmers’ mortgages, as dairy cows and hogs had done earlier. When employee Ken Kramer suggested putting wings on an ear of corn, Roberts immediately approved, creating the basic design of the company’s logo. The winged ear first appeared in October 1935 on company letterhead with the words “DeKalb Quality Hybrid Will Be Your Mortgage Lifter.” An enhanced version developed by an ad agency was legally registered with the U.S. Patent Office as the company’s trademark on August 25, 1936, with registration number 337,915, and the new logo was first used in an advertisement in the Prairie Farmer magazine dated October 24, 1936. In 1938, the first signs appeared in farmers’ fields. Monsanto purchased DeKalb Genetics Corporation in 1998 and now owns the DeKalb® brand and winged ear logo, which today are legally registered as Monsanto trademarks in more than 80 countries worldwide.