Stine Seed Inc.

What Stine Seed Inc. does

Stine Seed Inc. (legal entity Stine Seed Farm, Inc.) is an Adel, Iowa-based, privately held, family-owned seed company founded in the 1950s-1968, specializing in corn and soybean seed genetics for row-crop farmers across the United States and select international markets. The company operates the largest private soybean breeding program in the United States, testing more than 150,000 soybean lines annually, alongside an aggressive corn breeding program built around the HP Corn and HP Twin 20 high-population planting system. Stine holds more than 800 seed and technology-related patents, including the proprietary Aerosol Beam Injector gene transformation technology, the first U.S. soybean variety patents (1994), and the first USDA non-regulated status for a cisgenic corn trait (Event HCEM485, 2013).

The product portfolio spans high-performance corn hybrids (HP Corn, MX Series Corn, HP Twin 20s), herbicide-trait soybean platforms (LibertyLink, Enlist E3, LibertyLink GT27, GT), and proprietary seed treatments (Stine XP Complete 2.0 and XP-F&I). Supporting offerings include a mobile app, profitability calculators, a finance program for HP Corn planters, the biweekly Stine Seedcast podcast, and a full-season agronomic support program (Yield Maximizer). Stine monetizes through one-time seed sales via a 1,700+ dealer network, 300+ direct sales representatives across 30+ states, 22+ regional sales agronomists, a dedicated retail development team, and direct retail operations in Ontario, Canada. By 2020 the company had become the 4th largest soybean seed brand in the United States, and it currently reports a presence in 14 countries.

Name

Stine Seed Inc.

Legal name

Stine Seed Farm, Inc.

Website

https://stineseed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Stine Seed is a privately held, family-owned seed company headquartered in Adel, Iowa, that breeds and sells corn and soybean genetics—including HP Corn and LibertyLink, Enlist E3, and GT27 soybeans—through a 1,700+ dealer and 300+ rep network across 30+ U.S. states and Ontario, Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seed Genetics

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development (AFAGAIAG), Row Crop Seeds (Corn, Soybean, Wheat, Rice, Cotton) (AFABAFAA), Seed Distribution & Wholesale (Channel Sales) (AFAGAIAM), Transformation & Tissue Culture Platforms (Plant regeneration, delivery systems) (AFABALAH)

Keywords

• Corn seed genetics
• Soybean seed genetics
• Seed breeding
• Agricultural biotechnology
• Crop seed production

Headquarters

HQ city

Talladell

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corn Seed Sales: Sale of proprietary corn seed hybrids including HP Corn, MX Series Corn, and Agrisure branded corn through dealer and direct sales channels.
2. Soybean Seed Sales: Sale of proprietary soybean seed varieties including LibertyLink, Enlist E3, and GT27 trait packages through a network of dealers and direct sales representatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stine Seed Company develops, breeds, and sells proprietary corn and soybean seed genetics through its in-house breeding programs. Its portfolio includes HP Corn hybrids and twin-row planting systems, MX Series Corn, and soybean varieties carrying LibertyLink, Enlist E3, LibertyLink GT27, and GT27 trait packages, alongside Stine XP seed treatments. The company sells through regional sales agronomists, an independent dealer network, and a retail development team serving row-crop farmers across the United States and Canada.

Product overview

Stine Seed Company is the nation's largest independent, family-owned seed company specializing in corn and soybean seed products. The product portfolio centers on two core seed product lines: high-performance corn hybrids (including HP Corn for high populations, MX Series Corn, and HP Twin 20s twin-row system) and soybean varieties (including Enlist E3, LibertyLink, LibertyLink GT27, and GT trait platforms). Supporting the seed products are Stine XP seed treatments, the Aerosol Beam Injector proprietary gene transformation technology, and digital tools including the Stine Seed App, profitability calculators, and the Stine Seedcast podcast. The company operates the United States' largest private soybean breeding program and an aggressive corn breeding program, offering services such as the Yield Maximizer Program and agronomic support through Regional Sales Agronomists and Retail Development team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HP Corn: High-performance corn system featuring shorter-stature hybrids designed for higher planting populations and narrow-row (Twin 20) production.
• MX Series Corn
• Stine XP Seed Treatments
• Enlist E3 Soybeans
• LibertyLink Soybeans
• LibertyLink GT27 Soybeans
• Stine GT Soybeans
• Stine Seedcast

Products and services

• HP Corn High Population corn hybrids featuring shorter-stature plants bred for higher planting densities in narrow rows, designed to achieve 300+ bushel per acre yields with improved standability and harvest efficiency. Targeted at corn growers seeking maximum yield per acre.
• MX Series Corn Premium corn hybrids developed from Stine's superior corn genetics featuring season-long performance and enhanced seed protection for fast starts and outstanding early-season growth. Targeted at corn growers seeking premium genetics.
• Enlist E3 Soybeans Triple herbicide-tolerant soybean varieties featuring tolerance to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate, and glufosinate, offering multiple modes of action for weed control. Targeted at soybean growers needing flexible herbicide programs.
• LibertyLink Soybeans Soybean varieties with LibertyLink trait providing tolerance to Liberty herbicide (glufosinate) for effective control of broadleaf weeds including resistant species. Targeted at soybean growers managing resistant weeds.
• LibertyLink GT27 Soybeans Triple-stacked herbicide-tolerant soybeans providing tolerance to Liberty, glyphosate, and HPPD/Group 27 herbicides, the first commercially available triple-stacked trait option. Targeted at soybean growers needing maximum herbicide flexibility.
• GT Soybeans Glyphosate-tolerant soybean varieties offering compatibility with Roundup Ready herbicide systems. Targeted at soybean growers using glyphosate-based weed control programs.
• Stine XP Complete 2.0 Premium soybean seed treatment featuring fungicides, insecticide, Heads Up for SDS suppression, white mold suppression, and AmpliFYR biostimulant for enhanced seedling growth and crop establishment. Targeted at soybean growers seeking disease and pest protection.
• Stine XP-F&I Combination fungicide and insecticide seed treatment providing protection against Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Phytophthora, Pythium, and insect pests including wireworms and seedcorn maggots. Targeted at growers needing seedling disease and insect protection.
• Soybean Blends Pre-mixed soybean variety blends designed to provide diverse genetic performance and risk management across varying field conditions. Targeted at soybean growers seeking yield stability and risk diversification.
• Stine Exclusives Soybeans Exclusive soybean varieties only available through Stine, offering unique genetics not found elsewhere in the market. Targeted at soybean growers seeking differentiated genetics.
• Yield Maximizer Program Full-season grower support program providing pre-plant planning, agronomic guidance, stand counts, emergence evaluations, mid-season recommendations, and post-harvest evaluation to maximize yield potential. Targeted at growers enrolled in the program with hybrid-specific management.
• HP Corn Planter Program Financing program where Stine covers two-thirds of planter costs for qualified growers adopting the HP Twin 20 planting system. Targeted at growers transitioning to HP Corn high-population planting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15% yield improvement reported by HP Corn adopters
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SyngentacoreTechnology or Integration · 22 December 2025Stine will offer Syngenta's Victrato soybean seed treatment for the 2026 season. This partnership provides Stine customers access to Syngenta's advanced soybean seed treatment technology for disease protection.
• Seed LifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2025Stine Seed and Seed Life joined forces to serve Midwest farmers. This partnership combines Stine's seed genetics with Seed Life's programs to support farmer success.
• Pattern AgcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 November 2023Collaboration to provide corn rootworm protection solutions to Stine customers. Pattern Ag's soil analysis technology combined with Stine genetics to address corn rootworm pressure.
• Beijing W. SeedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2017Collaborative agreement with Beijing W. Seed for Chinese seed market development. This partnership marked Stine's entry into the Chinese seed market, allowing technology sharing and market expansion.
• Balance GT System LicenseecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Stine signed up as licensee for the Balance GT soybean trait system, adding this technology to their lineup of herbicide-tolerant soybean options.
• Albaugh LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationAlbaugh LLC provides fungicide, insecticide and seed treatment components used in Stine XP seed treatments. Products include Azoxystrobin 1L ST, Fludioxonil 4L ST, Metalaxyl 265 ST, Thiabendazole 4L ST, Legend 5L ST, ALB 100 ST and BIOst Nematicide.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Inari Agriculture: Inari is a venture-backed seed biotechnology company using AI-driven multiplex gene editing to develop corn and soybean traits, positioning it as an emerging technology peer whose capabilities could eventually challenge Stine's ABI and conventional breeding advantage.
• Benson Hill: Benson Hill applies genomics and AI to crop improvement, including soybeans, and overlaps with Stine in proprietary genetic development for row crops, making it an emerging peer with a different go-to-market but comparable biotech ambitions.
• Pairwise: Pairwise uses CRISPR-based gene editing in row crops, including corn, and competes at the trait-development layer with Stine's ABI-enabled pipeline, representing an emerging technology peer in seed biotech.

Direct peers

• AgReliant Genetics (AgriGold, LG Seeds, Pride Seeds): AgReliant is another large independent seed company marketing AgriGold and LG Seeds corn and soybean products to U.S. growers through a dealer network, directly comparable to Stine in size, channels, and target customer.
• Wyffels Hybrids: Wyffels is a family-owned, independent corn seed company competing with Stine in the U.S. Corn Belt with a focused hybrid lineup and a similar farmer-direct and dealer sales approach.
• Beck's Hybrids: Beck's is the largest family-owned U.S. seed company and Stine's closest independent peer, competing in corn and soybean genetics via a similar farmer-focused, dealer-supported go-to-market across the Midwest.
• Corteva (Pioneer Brand Seeds): Corteva's Pioneer is the largest U.S. corn and soybean seed business and Stine's most direct competitor, offering comparable hybrid and variety portfolios, trait stacks, and dealer/distributor channels serving the same row-crop farmer base.

Broad incumbents

• BASF Agricultural Solutions (xarvio, Nunhems): BASF competes with Stine via its seed and trait portfolio (including former Bayer assets like Nunhems) and overlaps in seed-applied chemistry (e.g., components Stine uses in its XP treatments), making it a broad incumbent peer across inputs.
• Bayer Crop Science (DEKALB, Asgrow, Channel): Bayer's seed brands (DEKALB corn, Asgrow soybeans, Channel) compete head-to-head with Stine in U.S. row crops and own many of the foundational herbicide-tolerance traits (e.g., LibertyLink, Roundup Ready) that Stine licenses into its own germplasm.
• Syngenta (NK Seeds, Golden Harvest): Syngenta's NK Seeds and Golden Harvest compete with Stine in corn and soybean genetics and trait stacks, and is now a strategic partner to Stine via the 2025 Victrato seed treatment collaboration, making it both a competitor and an ecosystem ally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLVbg7Sr1XcgUCH99-wsyWRn-c5I6qNB6J
• Xx.com/stineseed
• Facebookfacebook.com/stineseed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stine Seed Inc.