Iowa Billionaire On A Mission

Iowa Billionaire On A Mission CROPS Miscellaneous Tongues have been wagging across the Midwest over the past few weeks since an article appeared in Forbes Magazine’s “billionaire issue” about Harry Stine patriarch of Stine Seeds in Iowa Detailing how Stine built his $3 billion fortune the article focused on Stine’s mission to double corn yields by developing new “short hybrids” suited for ultra-narrow rows and equidistant spacing With more than 900 patents Stine sells his soybean and corn seed genetics to Monsanto and Syngenta in addition to selling his own branded seed Some 60 percent of all U S soybean acreage is planted using Stine’s genetics Now after 7 years of tinkering with corn genetics to develop varieties geared to higher plant populations extensive field testing has been showing amazing results with plant populations as high as 80 000 per acre with shorter plants that have smaller tassels and more upright leaves He has modified planters and cornheads to plant and harvest corn in rows 12 in apart and even pairs of rows 8 in apart Some commercial seed growers quoted in the Forbes article say they’ve seen yield increases of 30 percent or more Some skeptical researchers point out that the increased input costs for seed fertilizer and narrow-row equipment means growers need consistent yield improvements of 20 to 30 percent to improve the bottom line However Robert Fraley Monsanto’s chief technology officer who has been doing business with Stine since the early 1980’s is quoted as saying “We absolutely think it’s possible to double yields ”

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