Stine Seed Company in Iowa: History, What It Breeds, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Stine Seed Company is one of the largest privately held seed companies in the United States, built by an Adel, Iowa family that began by cleaning and selling public soybean varieties to neighbors. Farm Progress reports that Stine and its affiliated entities hold more than 800 patents, and the company sells corn and soybean genetics through a sales network that spans the Corn Belt.
| Location | Adel, Dallas County, Iowa (headquarters at 22555 Laredo Trail) |
|---|---|
| Roots | Family seed business traced back more than 80 years by Farm Progress (2022) |
| Sectors | Corn and soybean breeding; seed sales; seed treatments; agronomy services |
| Scale | More than 800 patents held with affiliates; more than 300 U.S. sales reps (Farm Progress, 2022) |
| Why it is notable | Described as one of the largest independent, family-owned seed companies in the U.S.; celebrated its 45th brand anniversary in 2023 |
| Ownership | Stine family; Harry Stine is CEO and Myron Stine is president |
| Official website | Stine Seed Company official site, history page |
History of Stine Seed Company
Farm Progress traces the Stine seed story to Bill Stine, who cleaned and sold public seed varieties to neighbors in Dallas County. The family farm near Adel started as a 160-acre place with only about 30 tillable acres. Harry Stine grew up there, learned plant breeding with help from Iowa State University staff, and turned a farm sideline into a research business.
Over the following decades Stine added a corn breeding program in the early 1980s and built a soybean program that the trade press has called one of the largest in the country. Farm Progress notes that Stine was the first company to receive a patent on soybean varieties. In 2023 the company marked the 45th anniversary of the Stine brand and announced an expansion into Canada.
What Stine Seed Company Grows and Raises
Stine develops and sells corn and soybean genetics. Its published product lines include MX Series corn, high-population corn research, soybean lines carrying herbicide-tolerance traits, and Stine XP seed treatments. Research topics named by Farm Progress include shorter-stature corn, drought and stress tolerance and ear placement.
Seed production is not limited to Iowa. Farm Progress reports seed production in Guyana, which allows several generations of breeding material per year, and the company has a presence in South America, Europe and China. Locally, it supplies farmers through dealers and direct sales representatives and offers agronomy tools such as profitability calculators and a planting chart.
How Stine Seed Company Makes Money
Seed sales
The core revenue stream is the sale of branded corn and soybean seed to farmers, delivered through dealers and company sales representatives.
Seed treatments and agronomy services
Stine publicly lists seed treatments and agronomy support alongside its seed lines, which lets the company sell more than the bag itself.
Genetics and licensing
The company holds a large patent portfolio, and its own materials describe genetics and biotech labs as part of the business. How licensing income is structured has not been published.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Stine Seed Company
A farm sideline can become a seed company when it owns something others cannot copy. Stine kept investing in breeding, trait research and patents, so its product was its own genetics rather than someone else's variety.
The family also kept the business close to the customer. Local reps, agronomy tools and field trials give growers a reason to buy a brand rather than a commodity bag, a lesson for any operator thinking about direct sales.
Few farm families can say their soybean pod count changed history, and the Stines of Adel come close with a program built on patience and plot trials. The editors at farm.FM love farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and they suspect a seed breeder who spent years on tiny, shorter corn has heard every height joke already. Congratulations to everyone who still manages to stay tall in the yield trials.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Stine Seed Company
Website: https://stineseed.com/about/history/
Address: 22555 Laredo Trl., Adel, IA 50003
Contact details as published online, November 2026. Confirm before traveling or placing orders. The history page links to a Contact Us page and a dealer locator.
Stine Seed Company Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Stine Seed history - Official company history
- Farm Progress feature - Independent profile of the Stine family and seed program
- 45th anniversary release - Company milestones and Canada launch
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - National farm and seed-crop statistics
- Iowa State University Extension agronomy - Land-grant crop production resources
Stine Seed Company FAQ
Where is Stine Seed Company based?
Stine Seed Company is headquartered near Adel, Iowa, with the address 22555 Laredo Trail printed on its history page.
What does Stine Seed sell?
It sells corn and soybean seed, seed treatments and agronomy services, according to its own pages.
Is Stine Seed family owned?
Its 2023 release describes it as one of the largest independent, family-owned seed companies in the country.
How can I find a Stine dealer?
The official site links to a Find Stine locator and a Contact Us page.
Stine Seed Company shows how a small Iowa farm can grow into a national genetics business through breeding and patience. Browse our Iowa farms guide for more profiles from across the state.