DUNKERTON -- Finally, the rugged good looks and photogenic faces of four Northeast Iowa farmers have paid off.

Then again, maybe they just grow good-looking corn.

Either way, the farmers were honored to be featured in Monsanto Co.'s 2007 annual report.

The St. Louis-based seed and chemical giant scoured the nation for farmers growing its most advanced biotech corn -- YieldGard VT Triple. They found what they were looking for in Northeast Iowa: loyal, successful customers to show off to stockholders.

Michael Heineman of rural Readlyn, sporting a Monsanto-brand DeKalb seed corn hat, graces the cover. David Wheeler of rural Fairbank, also in a DeKalb hat, is on the back cover. On page 8, Dan Waskow of rural Dunkerton holds three shapely, full-bodied ears of DeKalb corn. Jeff Schutte's photo is right next to Waskow's, with the Readlyn producer holding vibrant green corn leaves.

"It had to be that we're so good-looking, that's the reason," Schutte joked on Wednesday, taking another weather-related break from planting this year's crop. He has raised DeKalb corn for about 20 years.

"But it was probably just the damn good-looking corn," he added.

With a high yield last fall of 244 bushels per acre using DeKalb DKC 61-69, Schutte said, the latter is more likely. He attributed the yields to Monsanto's triple-stack technology, or adding biotech traits to protect plants from corn borers, root worms and herbicides.

Despite the successful modeling gig last September in a field owned by Heineman just north of Dunkerton on Iowa Highway 281, the farmers said more offers haven't exactly poured in, even for the cover boy.

"The phone hasn't been ringing off the hook," Heineman said. "When I said I would do it, I had no idea I would be on the cover. It was pretty good to have my face on there. … It's hard to put into words. I was honored. They're an outstanding company."

Monsanto contacted Wheeler, also a DeKalb dealer, to find people who were growing YieldGard VT Triple corn that was still green, and he lined up the talent. All were friends and customers who just happen to raise a late-maturing DeKalb hybrid that qualified. Most corn in mid-September is already brown or dead.

The men spent most of Sept. 15 posing with corn instead of harvesting it. Though they weren't paid for their efforts, the farmers didn't go away empty handed.

As a thank you, Monsanto invited the models to its annual meeting in January. They were flown via private jet to St. Louis, along with other participating farmers and researchers, and given the VIP treatment. The farmers were wined and dined, toured the company's research facility and had one-on-one conversations with Monsanto executives.

"We're an ag company, and our success hinges on their (farmers) success. If we're not listening to what's important to our farmer-customers, than we need to realign (our priorities)," said Lee Quarles, manager of Monsanto's annual report.

Quarles said inviting the farmers featured in the report was the least the company could do.

"We wanted to recognize them (farmers) for taking time out of their busy schedules and time away from their families," he added.

Featuring several Northeast Iowans in the annual report had nothing to do with Monsanto's announcement late last year it wants to build a new $90 million processing plant in the area, Quarles said. Independence was eventually chosen. Or the fact Monsanto decided to close its foundation corn seed production facility in Parkersburg last summer, he said.

The farmers said the most memorable part of the trip was that officials from a company with more than $8.5 billion in net sales last year were interested in what four Northeast Iowa producers had to say. They told Hugh Grant, president and chief executive officer, and Terrel Crews, executive vice president and chief financial officer, to keep pushing biotechnology to make corn more insect and drought resistant. Strong roots, they said, are the key to big yields.

"We got treated like kings," Wheeler said. "We picked each others' minds about the future of farming, and they told us we're on the cutting edge of what's coming out like nitrogen (fertilizer) efficiency and multi-multi-stack corn."

Each of the farmers received an autographed copy of the annual report from Monsanto executives.

"I've got my copy hanging up on my office wall," Heineman said. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You just don't get on a private jet a month old every day."

Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.