The early years 1871 - 1978 1966 Stine Seed Farm builds a modern soybean seed production facility. 1973 IVR is dissolved. Harry Stine and Bill Eby form Midwest Oilseeds, which will go on to become the largest and most successful soybean research and development program in existence. In just a few short years, Midwest Oilseeds is the soybean genetics licensing company of choice in the United States. 1967 Harry and Bill Eby begin soybean breeding. ISU professor Walter Fehr is an early partner in the breeding work. 1968 Harry Stine, along with four other investors, founds Improved Variety Research (IVR), a soybean breeding organization. It is the first private soybean research and development firm in the U.S. Work for IVR is conducted at Stine Seed Farm and directed by Harry Stine and Bill Eby, the head plant breeder. 1975 Stine Seed Company begins a program to breed and develop high-yielding hybrid seed corn. 30 YEARS OF PERFORMANCE SEED P3