What RR1 Patent Expiration Means for Farmers
The patent for the original Roundup Ready (RR1) soybean trait is set to expire in 2014. That fact has raised all kinds of interest and questions, starting first with what it means for farmers. Late last year, Monsanto worked to explain our intentions. Lately, several groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, have asked about [...]
Monsanto Says DOJ Has Issued CID for Information on Soybean Trait Business
Monsanto announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a civil investigative demand (CID) requesting information on its soybean traits business. The DOJ is primarily seeking a confirmation that, as Monsanto has previously indicated, farmers and seed companies will continue to have access to the first-generation Roundup Ready® trait following patent expiry in [...]
Monsanto Public Comments to DOJ Available On-line
Today, we posted on the Monsanto.com Web site, the official public comments we submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the upcoming workshops on competition in Agriculture. The DOJ and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are holding joint workshops on competition this year. The agencies have invited agribusiness to participate in these workshops and [...]
Monsanto Plans for Roundup Ready® Soybeans Post Patent
The world’s most widely adopted biotech trait, Roundup Ready® soybeans, is set to go off patent soon in the U.S. – the last applicable Monsanto-owned patent is expected to expire in 2014. Although it’s still several years off, we’ve been discussing our thoughts about a post-patent environment for the past several years. These discussions culminated [...]
Monsanto Response to Associated Press Article Regarding Anti-Competitive Claims
This weekend’s Associated Press article on Monsanto’s licensing agreements with companies missed the mark on the real facts behind our business and our licensing approach, including: Our business has grown tremendously over the years thanks to a number of factors – an early investment in biotechnology, adding new approaches to historic breeding, and a decision [...]
DuPont vs. Monsanto – A Tale of Two Companies
Thirty years ago, Monsanto and DuPont were both chemical conglomerates, and both had agricultural divisions primarily making and selling pesticides. As the science of biotechnology began to develop, the two companies took very different paths. Monsanto bet the farm on biotech and its application in agriculture. DuPont consciously chose not to invest in agriculture biotech at that time.
