Independent Seed Companies Facing Consolidation and Economic Challenges

There was a time when most seed companies were local and family-owned. Today, global corporations dominate the seed business. As a result, family-owned, seed operations are facing some tough challenges. The Dow DuPont merger, the Syngenta buyout, and the proposed Monsanto Bayer merger are changing the nature of the seed business.  How are small family companies surviving? Scott Beck, with Beck’s Hybrids, says the mega-mergers will not impact what they can offer their customers, “We have good relationships with all of the major suppliers and our agreements will move with them when they merge or are bought out.” He does not think the globalization of the seed industry will change what Beck’s is able to offer.