ADEL, Iowa — Christmas came early for 270 employees at an Iowa corn and soybean company.
Harry Stine, founder of Stine Seed Co., told his workers they would get $1,000 for each year they have worked for him. That adds up to a $20,000 bonus for some loyal employees.
The workers sat in stunned silence after he announced the bonuses following the company’s annual post-harvest luncheon last month.
"He said that we’re a can-do kind of people, that we work in the rain and the mud, and that he just appreciated our hard work," said 7-year employee Kelley Muir, 30.
"All of these people help me every day," Stine said. "So it’s not a be-nice thing. It’s just what should be done."
The average bonus check was $4,000.
Stine Seed is one of the largest privately held agricultural seed companies in the nation, a standing attributed to the company’s control of plant genetics that comprise half of the soybean seed sold in the Midwest.
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