Harry Stine started life on a small 200-acre farm in Iowa, where his father founded “Stine Seed Farm” in the 1950s. It was a small operation with equally small profit margins but it sparked a passion in Stine who, despite challenges caused by dyslexia and mild autism, went on to build his father’s modest business into the world’s largest private seed company.
Stine was born in on October 26, 1941, in Adel, Iowa, and was helping around the family farm by age five. His father, Bill Stine, got started in the seed business by growing 40-80 acres of public varieties of oats and soybeans that he got from the university system. He’d later hire someone to clean the seeds and sell it to their neighbors.
Stine faced challenges at school when he was young, describing himself as “dyslexic and somewhat autistic” that started off as “very slow to learn.” But by third grade, Stine says he figured out how to reverse everything and started to “get it” in school. “My ability in many areas is less than most people, but instead of crying about areas I’m weak, I concentrate on areas I’m strong,” Stine said in a 2020 interview.
Stine went on to earn a degree in agronomy from Iowa State University and then joined the family seed business in 1964. His interest in research was sparked when an unusual, five-pod soybean plant was brought to his attention. Stine immediately saw the value and profit opportunities that breeding, developing, and growing newer, higher-yielding soybean varieties could have for the family business as well as farmers.
Previously done only by universities, Harry began a soybean-breeding program with four other seedsmen. Named “Improved Variety Research” (IVR), the company was the first private soybean research and development company in the United States. IVR dissolved in 1973, but Stine continued his research. Along with IVR head plant breeder Bill Eby, Stine turned right around and formed Midwest Oilseeds in 1973.
It’s important to understand that at this point in the U.S., soybeans were not protected under patent law. Most varieties were produced by land-grant universities and farmers saved seeds to replant the following years. But this also meant that most seed companies were ignoring soybeans, which obviously worked to Stine’s favor in the long run. Interestingly, Stine says he tried soybeans “because I didn’t know any better.”
But he did know enough to protect his investment. When Stine Seed began soybean seed sales in 1979, it required farmers to sign contracts agreeing not to save seeds. That practice continued until the U.S. Patent Office began recognizing soybean traits in the 1990s.
Today, Stine is often referred to as the “father of modern soybeans.” His emphasis on research and genetics revolutionized the way soybeans are grown in the U.S. In the 1960s, soybeans were floppy, unwieldy plants that “were so tangled you couldn’t walk through them,” says Stine. So they bred shorter plants that stand upright, get more sun, and produce higher yields.
By the time the U.S. started handing out patents for soybeans in the 1990s, Stine was already miles ahead of his competitors. Stine Seed was the first company in the U.S. to receive a patent on soybean varieties and began selling its coveted seed genetics to ag giants like Monsanto and Syngenta. In fact, Monsanto’s revolutionary “Roundup Ready” soybeans started with Stine’s industry-leading genetics.
Today, it’s estimated that around two-thirds of all soybeans planted in the U.S. contain genetics developed by Stine Seed. Stine also took up corn breeding and the company now holds more than 900 patents specializing in soybean and corn genetics. While still headquartered in Adel, Iowa, Stine has grown its presence in 14 countries around the world.
The company also remains a family-owned operation. According to Stine, all four of his children are active in the company. In 2016, Stine’s son, Myron, was promoted to company President while Harry maintained his position as CEO. Forbes estimates the Harry Stine family’s net worth at around $10.2 billion. What an amazing life story for a farm boy from Iowa. Great stuff!!! (Sources: Forbes, SeedWorld, The Scoop, Wiki)
