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Monsanto, The Sustainable Agriculture Company

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Introduction Monsanto, the sustainable agriculture company has undergone many changes since its beginning in 1901. According to the mission statement the company is currently “committed to supporting research with academic and USDA scientists who have complementary areas of expertise (Monsanto, 2014).” The company has evolved and diversified its product line from chemical products, such as sweeteners and plastics to petroleum, packaging, and other materials. A few years later, Monsanto developed an herbicide that would soon cause trouble for the company. Monsanto has faced many legal problems due to its produced chemicals. The majority of Monsanto’s existing revenue is drawn from biotechnology sales. The genetically modified (GM) plant seeds generate most of these sales. These seeds were developed with the ability to kill insects that could harm the plants, along with containing herbicides that rid the crops of weeds Although Monsanto believes these plant seeds to be the innovative answer to solve the problems faced by farmers, the company has endured a great deal of criticism from the public regarding negative health effects caused by genetically modified plants and food. Critics have also voiced a concern of potentially harmful environmental effects in relation to Monsanto’s herbicide. Because of various legal, bribery, and patent issues, the company’s ethics have been questioned (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013, p. 313). In order to determine the efficacy of

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