Ames, Iowa, USA
September 24, 2014
Undergraduate and graduate students from 15 land-grant universities will have the opportunity in the next few months to compete for $15,000 in cash awards through a new program developed by Iowa State University’s Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative and sponsored by Stine Seed and Summit Group.
The Agricultural Business Plan Competition will provide undergraduate and graduate students with a platform to develop and share their agriculture-related entrepreneurial business venture ideas. It also will allow participants the opportunity to learn written and oral presentation skills, build their entrepreneurial network and motivate them to create feasible businesses that will contribute to the betterment of the agriculture industry. Three grand prizes in the amount of $5,000 each will be awarded to the top teams in the competition.
“Today’s ag environment is as challenging as ever, so to secure our future we will need growers and ag industry professionals with true vision and an entrepreneurial spirit,” said Harry H. Stine, founder of Stine Seed. “When we develop high-yielding seeds, the way to find the very best is through extensive testing and evaluation. So it stands to reason that the best way for us to find the ag leaders of tomorrow is to look for those individuals that show promise and then provide programs and resources to help them hone their skills.”
The Agricultural Business Plan Competition is open to students at Iowa State University, Colorado State University, Illinois State University, University of Illinois, Kansas State University, Michigan State University, University of Missouri, Oklahoma State University, Purdue University, South Dakota State University, The Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Wisconsin-Madison or University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
“There are many talented students enrolled in agriculture programs at our land-grant universities. It is a privilege for Summit Group to be associated with this worthwhile new program and to have the opportunity to recognize and reward these future entrepreneurs,” said Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Summit Group. “The importance of entrepreneurship in today’s world can’t be overstated — and its role for tomorrow’s agriculture is vital.”
Submissions are due November 15, 2014, with final business plan presentations at the Entrepreneurial Agribusiness Executive Conference in January at Iowa State University. For additional information, go to http://www.agideasisu.com/competition/.
The mission of the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative is to create a broad understanding of entrepreneurship among faculty and students of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University and its supporting components, to provide a portfolio of educational experiences to develop our students' entrepreneurial skills while increasing interaction between students and faculty and agricultural entrepreneurs, and to increase the number of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty engaged in entrepreneurial activities.
As the nation’s largest independent seed company, Stine Seed Farm, Inc., headquartered near Adel, Iowa, is focused on developing and marketing the world's best-performing 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. For nearly four decades, Stine’s soybean research program has been regarded as the soybean genetics supplier of choice to the seed industry and Stine has consistently lead the Patent Board’s Food, Beverage and Tobacco industry segment in growth and industry impact. For more information, call toll-free (800) 362-2510 or visit the Web site at www.stineseed.com.
Summit Group is based in Alden, Iowa, and under the leadership of CEO Bruce Rastetter, oversees a diverse number of successful operations, ranging from crop and livestock production to wind energy, renewable fuels and international development. Rastetter is the president of the Iowa Board of Regents and serves on the board of directors for Hawkeye Energy Holdings, Advanced Bioenergy and Iowa Premium Beef. An active philanthropist, he founded the Rastetter Foundation, an initiative dedicated to supporting educational, entrepreneurial and agricultural pursuits. To learn more about Summit Group, go to www.SummitAg.com or call (515) 854-9820.
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