Monsanto Dicamba Essay

A product manufactured by Monsanto is the weed killer Roundup Ready 2 Xtend. The Roundup Ready 2 Xtend is used to by soybean farmers and claims to provide growers with an outstanding performance with their efforts to produce the best crop possible. However, the product is not currently approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Farmers will like the new roundup ready plus because it will give them a higher yield on their crops. Monsanto claims that the farmers can expect up to four bushels of soybeans per acre (Monsanto, 2016). In order for the new Roundup Ready 2 Xtend to be used in the United States, each state has to approve the use of the product. The product is used by spraying it onto the crops in order to combat pests.

According to the article somewhere around 325,000 farmers purchase seeds each year under an agreement that “they will will not save and replant seeds produced from” Monsanto. With an agreement like this in place, the corporation feels the need to be sure that clients withhold their contracts. Monsanto sends out private investigators to essentially follow farmers, photographing them and watching everything that they do. If an investigator determines that a farmer is breaking contract, that farmer will have to pay a fine, or, in extreme cases, a lawsuit will be filed. However, according to the essay by Monsanto, there have been only “147 lawsuits filed since 1997 in the United States. This averages about 8 per year for the past 18 years. To date, only 9 cases have gone through full trial. In every one of these instances, the jury or court decided in our favor.” They do this because when farmers replant, they no longer have a reason to purchase seeds, therefore costing the company money. Another reason that Monsanto uses such a practice is because the loss of that revenue hinders their ability to research and develop products that would help farmers. A

| Monsanto continues to grow with future acquisitions of other companies in the industry (i.e. Asgrow Agronomics, Holden’s Foundation Seeds, Corn States Hybrid Service, and DeKalb Genetics Corp.).- Monsanto expands its production of genetically modified seed products which are herbicide tolerant. These include, “Roundup Ready Canola,” “Roundup Ready Cotton,” and “Roundup Ready Corn.”- Monsanto is also the first company to introduce a dual genetically engineered seed with protection from both insects and herbicides (cotton and corn seeds).

The farmers then give their products to the manufacturers, who represent the bottleneck of the food system (21). “The ten largest companies control half of the world’s seed supply. …Ten firms control 90% of the nearly $38.6 billion pesticide markets (111-112).” Monsanto, being one of the ten companies that controls the world’s seed supply, is a company that has patents on all of its seeds and products. It produces genetically modified crops that are resistant to its own pesticides and herbicides, so that when a pesticide or herbicide is sprayed and it destroys all plants, the Monsanto seed survives because of its resistance. The reason that Monsanto is able to stay in business is because of the economic benefit it poses for the farmers. They are able to produce their crops at a much higher yield because they are losing less of their crops to pests. This higher yield results in lower costs for the consumers as well (Planes). As discussed

If any parts of the farm are not following their guidelines, then Monsanto will sue the farmer. This has resulted in many farmers fighting until they are out of money like Moe Parr, a farmer from the segment known as From Seed to Supermarket. These large companies will not stop until their opponents run out of money, and this evokes fear from the audience. Fear is felt because it is now becoming more apparent that no matter how many people fight, the monopolizing companies will win because no one else has the funds to oppose them, and their businesses will continue to run unchallenged. The most appalling part of this entire industry is the chemicals necessary to keep it running.

The use of Monsanto’s tactical format for approaching farmers who misuse their seeds is one that I find a little concerning. Monsanto has a policy that the farmers who purchase their seeds sign that they are not able to save their seeds or replant them for the next years crop. It is important for all industries to protect their patented product, but I am not sure preventing the farmer’s from using a product purchased in a previous year would damage their patent. The farmer has already purchased the seed from the supplier, so the seed is technically the owned product of the farmer who completed the purchase. If the farmer is not doing anything with the product that will manipulate how it is used or in a manner where the crop is produced,

A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste.

Monsanto is a company which produces genetically modified plants and crops by using biotechnology to insert new genes into plant seeds. Along with using GMOs, Monsanto also uses the herbicide Roundup, which kills the weeds around the crops without actually hurting the crop itself. By doing this there will be a higher crop yield, and ultimately more profit, but can have negative effects on humans and the environment.

We then discover that it has been legal to patent life since the 1980s, and learn about the company Monsanto’s round up resistant soybean that now makes up 90% of the soybean market. Monsanto

Companies, like Monsanto will come after small farms and sue them for more than they can pay if they find out they are using even a small portion of GM crops in their fields, even if by accident” (Fitzgerald). Approximately 2,400 farmers in 19 states through 2006 were sued and spied upon for alleged “seed piracy”, Monsanto has an annual budget of $10 million dollars and a staff of 75 devoted solely to investigating and prosecuting farmers who are caught with different seed. (Monsanto).

To prevent resistance to herbicide, farmers are required to vary herbicide use and practice crop rotations.

Monsanto is a Saint Louis Chemical manufacturer that is a major player in the weed killing business. Monsanto has quite a portentous past. They developed and produced the notorious defoliant "Agent Orange" used in the Vietnam War, they invented the controversial recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), and they were the inventors and world’s main producer of

Additionally, big business controls the farmers by capitalizing on widely used commodities. For example, the company Monsanto which is based in St. Louis, Missouri protects its dominance over the genetically modified crops such as the soy bean with the use of a patent law. Because of this, Monsanto’s patented genes “account for 95 percent of all soy beans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S.,” (Associated Press). Although genetically modifying the soy bean crop has made it more readily available and more sustainable, this comes at a high price to farmers. Monsanto continues to raise their prices, which forces farmers to accrue even more debt, and there is no sign of the rise in the seed prices stopping. Since a lot of the farmers are under contract with Monsanto, there is nothing they can do about this unethical policy in fear of losing their job.

Furthermore, superweeds are created, which are resistant to that specific herbicide. To then kill the superweeds, a different kind of herbicide has to be used, which additionally harms the environment. Due to this, many amounts of herbicides have to be used. In addition to the GM superweed being bad for the environment, it is also bad for the economy as poor farmers can’t afford the GM soybeans. Without the GM soybean, the conventional soybeans do not possess the genes which make them resist herbicides and harsher weather. This will result in a smaller amount of soybeans to sell, which will then make the farmers without the rights to use GM soybeans have less income. As a result, the farmers without the GM soybean are unable to make the soybeans cheaper as they would then not make any profit. Although the GM soybean is mainly bad for the economy, it is also good as some farmers profit from this. The GM seeds allow the farmers to have more harvest as fewer soybeans will die due to weather, other plants or insects. As a result, these farmers will be able to sell the soybeans at a cheaper price, making more profit, as there is a greater quantity of

Monsanto is a company that some people may not be explicitly familiar with on a first name basis. However, the work that the company has done over the last century, with a larger emphasis on its most recent ventures, have been deeply engrained in our lives, our food, and our economy. Monsanto has those who advocate on their behalf in addition to their naysayers. While Monsanto has made huge strides in terms of biotechnology over the last couple of decades, their accomplishments, and the relevant methods, have not been free of criticism and controversy. In order to analyze Monsanto’s corporate environment, it is important to first explore their Strengths, Weaknesses,