E209: Seed Brands Retired Due to Industry Consolidation

The trend towards fewer, bigger seed companies is nothing new in US agriculture, and is not even unique to the seed industry. But as a handful of major players have bought up more and more independent seed companies, especially since the 1990s, it’s left farmers and industry analysts alike wondering what the impact is, and will be, on grower selection, price, and innovation overall. Today, DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins takes a closer look at the consolidation trend in the seed industry, especially after the announcement that several brands, including Fontanelle, Gold Country, Kruger, Lewis Hybrids, and Stone Seed will be eliminated from Bayer’s portfolio as of 2025. We’ll talk about the motivations behind these retirements for the big companies, what it might mean for producers when they’re making their selections for next year, and how independent seed companies are continuing to fit into a global seed market that seems to have less and less space for specialized players.Then we’ll talk about longer term consolidation trends and the seed news Jason expects to see in the weeks and months ahead.Read Jason's full story here.