Harry Stine

Farm boy turned seed-genetics savant Harry Stine has made a fortune licensing corn and soybean genetics to multinationals like Monsanto and Syngenta.

Stine founded and runs Stine Seed; his current obsession is tinkering with seed genetics that allow for better yields or pesticide resistance.

The son of a hardscrabble farmer, Stine became fascinated with seeds when he was a boy growing up in Iowa.

He started farming at just five years old, driving a tractor to pick up straw bales.

Stine, who is dyslexic and mildly autistic, is also a math and data wiz and a formidable negotiator.

In the 1990s he struck highly lucrative licensing deals with large multinational corporations across the globe, which form the backbone of his empire.

He's donated to numerous Iowa institutions, including McPherson College, Drake University and Spurgeon Manor, a skilled nursing facility for seniors.