Soybean breeder Bill Eby received the Iowa Seed Association's 2011 Honorary Member Award at the ISA's 108th Annual Convention held Feb. 8-9 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. The award commemorates his work with Midwest Oilseeds, a company founded by Eby and Harry Stine, which has become a very successful soybean breeding program.

"I thank the Iowa Seed Association for this honor," says Eby. "As a developer of soybean varieties, I depend on the seed industry to market these varieties and your support has been appreciated throughout my career."

Eby and Harry Stine, founder of Stine Seed Company, were both raised in rural Dallas County, Iowa. In 1968, Stine and Eby joined forces to create one of the first private soybean breeding programs in existence. During those early years, Eby wore many hats (soybean breeder, planter and combine operator, repairman and data analyst) and as the years progressed his hard work began to pay off. In time, Midwest Oilseeds became one of the most renowned genetics suppliers in the seed business.

Was granted the first patent ever issued on a soybean variety

In 1994, Eby and Midwest Oilseeds were granted the first utility patent ever issued on a soybean variety. This established the precedence for how seed developers would protect their intellectual property. To date, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Eby more than 416 soybean cultivar patents.  

Eby is about to embark on his 44th growing season with Stine Seed Company. Evidence of his legacy and lifetime commitment to the soybean industry can be found growing in fields across Iowa every summer. To learn more about Stine Seed Company's industry-leading soybean breeding program, visit www.stineseed.com.