Generating Success

Farm family management and transition planning are often cited as major challenges facing America’s growers. As an independently owned, family business, it’s an issue that’s close to our hearts – and our customers. That’s why Stine Seed Company is partnering with Successful Farming magazine for its Generating Success Conference August 11-12 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The 2011 Generating Success Conference is intended to help ag families be more profitable and achieve greater personal satisfaction from their farming operations. Jolene Brown will be the keynote speaker. Brown is a certified speaking professional with more than 20 years of experience working with farm families. She will provide take-home tools to improve the management, leadership and transition of the family business. Don Jonovic, Ph.D. will also speak at the conference. Dr. Jonovic has counseled business owners about growth and ownership transition since 1973.

The Generating Success Conference will broach important, and sometimes difficult, topics such as:

• The top 10 things that make or break a family business
• What do good businesses have in writing?
• How do you identify a good financial advisor?
• Ways to communicate with and reward family members
• Hiring and firing family members
• Beginning your strategic succession plan
• Stine’s family business story

Why it’s important

It’s estimated that 70 percent of U.S. farmland will change hands in the next 20 years, and 75 percent of retirement-age farmers have not identified successors. Stine Seed Company believes that transition planning is essential to ensuring that assets remain intact and family businesses continue to operate profitably. Stine is encouraging all farmers to create a transition plan to protect their operations and their livelihood.

Building a Legacy

Stine Seed Company is a privately held, family business that understands first-hand the importance of management and transition planning. Stine believes that a successful family business transcends multiple decades and can continue to get stronger with each new generation.

Stine Seed Farm was founded in Adel, Iowa, by Bill Stine in the early 1950s. His son, Harry, joined the family business in the mid 1960s and launched the company’s retail division in 1979. Today, Harry is still the guiding visionary behind Stine Seed Company’s breeding and genetics program and his sons, Myron and Warren, play integral roles in the daily operations and long-term planning of the business to protect the family’s legacy. The Stine family recognizes that each member has unique talents and abilities and they use each individual’s strengths to create a stronger company and better serve their customers. Myron is the vice president of sales and Warren uses his acumen for breeding and genetics as the company’s corn product technical advisor.

Generating Success attendees will hear the Stine family discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing their family business. They’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the tactics the Stine family uses to navigate complex issues and become the nation’s leading germplasm supplier. 

Register now!

Attendees will gain access to an exclusive online community featuring video interviews with the Stine family, discussion boards and transition planning tools.

Join Stine Seed Company at this unique event and lay the foundation for your family’s future.