Stine Seed’s research plots will be converted to a new Twin 20 row configuration, the company announced.
Doing this required the construction of 12 all-new research planters and the purchase of 12 new larger tractors to pull them. Each planter employs specialized seed splitters and row cones that allow Stine to plant small quantities of seed accurately, and the company will also utilize a GPS-based tripping system to ensure each plot is evenly spaced. With this system, Stine researchers will be able to plant four four-row plots concurrently, with a total of over one million plots.
Soybean research team leader Rodney Pentico says Stine’s philosophy is that the future of soybean yields, just as with corn, lies in finding varieties that will excel in narrower rows and at increased planting populations relative to today’s varieties.
“Converting our entire program to the Twin 20s configuration will lead to varieties that have been bred from start to finish for narrower rows and higher populations,” Pentico said.
As the nation’s largest independent seed company, Stine Seed Farm, Inc., headquartered near Adel, Iowa, is focused on developing and marketing corn and soybean seed through its retail arm, Stine Seed Company. Stine Seed Farm, Inc., operates the industry’s largest corn and soybean breeding and development program, advancing and testing nearly 1 million unique soybean varieties and more than 100,000 preliminary corn hybrids annually.
