Monsanto's dominance draws antitrust inquiry

Monsanto has drawn the fire of the regulators. They dominate the soybean and corn seed market. It's an example, like Microsoft and Wal-Mart, that when you get too big and successful you get a lot of attention. Guess they will have to hire more lawyers and PR people.

Ninety-three percent of soybeans. Eighty percent of corn.

The seeds represent "probably the most revolutionary event in grain crops over the last 30 years," said Geno Lowe, a Salisbury, Md., soybean farmer.

But for farmers such as Lowe, prices of the Monsanto-patented seeds have steadily increased, roughly doubling during the past decade, to about $50 for a 50-pound bag of soybean seed, according to seed dealers.

The revolution, and Monsanto's dominant role in the nation's agriculture, has not unfolded without complaint. Farmers have decried the price increases, and competitors say the company has ruthlessly stifled competition.

See the entire article from Peter Whoriskey at The Washington Post.