Forbes published its annual list of the richest people on the planet with its billionaire’s list. These billionaires are worth $4.5 trillion, and the cutoff to make the list stands at a record-tying $2.9 billion.
Today, I will uncover the richest person in Adel, Iowa.
According to Forbes Magazine, only one billionaire on the Forbes 400 considers Iowa home. His name is Harry Stine, and he has a net worth of $9.7 billion, making him the 76th richest man in the country.
Harry Stine has many titles: business owner, inventor, and entrepreneur, but the title he loves the most is “Farmer.”
A long time ago, in the late 1800s, William and Sarah Stine, with their oldest child Ira, moved from Pennsylvania, settled in Adel, Iowa, on 160 acres, and started farming. Their oldest daughter, Ira Cloyd, married Lydia Sheaffer and had four boys, including Harry’s father, Bill (William); all four boys farmed together.
In 1930, Bill (William) and Roselba Stine moved to where Stine Seed Farm would be created a few days later. Stine Seed Farm focused on cleaning oats and public variety soybean seeds with a mobile cleaner. After finding some unusual soybean plants in a farm field, Bill’s son, Harry, became interested in soybean breeding.