In review: Top 20 agricultural moments of the 2010s decade
By Markie Hageman, AG DAILY
The 10-year span from 2010 to 2019 was among the most pivotal in the history of the agricultural industry. From the tech boom of social media, smartphone apps, and precision imaging to the mergers between brands and large-scale lawsuits, there is no shortage of things that rocked our industry, for better or for worse. Some were specific to the livestock or crop niches, while other events rippled through ag as a whole. Here are the biggest agriculture moments of the 2010s decade and what they did for the industry.
Crops
1) Brand Mergers
Major seed and crop protection companies saw a change in industry dynamic over the past 10 years. Syngenta, Monsanto, Bayer, BASF, Dow Chemical, and Dupont were considered the “Big Six” chem companies. Several large-scale mergers were announced in the mid-2010s, but due to the concentrated market and competition between the global brands, an extensive review of antitrust laws was held by the United States, the European Union, and other governmental entities.
The major consolidations involved:
Monsanto and Bayer — The $66 billion merger of the two drug, seed and chemical companies, both part of the “Big Six,” was one of the hottest topics of discussion when it was announced in 2016, and again when it was finalized two years later. The merger resulted in dropping the 117-year old Monsanto name to help distance Bayer from anti-biotech activism and other negative publicity.
Monsanto and Climate Corp. — Prior to the Bayer/Monsanto deal, in a $930 million acquisition, Monsanto bought out farm weather insurance underwriter The Climate Corporation in 2013. This deal was done to provide Monsanto an edge into the field of data science, an emerging industry they wanted to tap into in order to help farmers increase yields.
Syngenta and ChemChina — In 2016, Chinese company ChemChina took over Swiss seed and chemical company Syngenta for $43 billion. This merger would allow China to improve its agricultural industry, which was behind global standards and was China’s largest foreign purchase at the time.
Dow Chemical and Dupont — About $130 billion was spent in the fall of 2017 to make the DowDupont merger successful. The joining of the two brands created three separate companies: Corteva, a seed and crop protection division; Dow, the material science division focused on manufacturing and industrial materials; and DuPont, the specialty products division focusing on electronics, biosecurity, and construction, among other things.
2) Rise of CRISPR
Genome engineering technology allowed scientists to easily and precisely edit the DNA of any genome — “Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats” involves molecules present in nature for millions of years. Scientists stumbled upon them in 1987, however, recent discoveries about the specific abilities of CRISPR in 2013 changed the world as we knew it.
With the ability to manipulate and edit DNA, plant scientists were able to provide a more secure food supply through advanced genetic engineering.
3) GMO Education
Of course, the science behind this technology was, and still is, highly contentious. Modifying anything doesn’t seem safe or moral to some people, especially those working outside of agricultural production. Additionally, anti-GMO organizations, such as the Non-GMO Project, fed off the fears of consumers and promoted products that didn’t use GMO foods. The first products to be offered in grocery stores, with the infamous butterfly label, occurred in 2010.
However, organizations, such as GMO Answers, rose up from the chaos and have worked to educate consumers on the safety, and necessity, of genetically engineered crops. Today, there are a wealth of advocates on both sides, from the Food Babe blogger and researcher Charles Benbrook against GMOs to professor Kevin Folta and author Mark Lynas in favor of the technology.
4) Rise in drone technology and other precision ag developments
Precision agriculture has seen a sharp increase in the past decade. While we had things like GPS in the mid-1960s, the invention of the internet, mobile devices and advancement in technology have increased the use of precision ag adoption. It has helped make farms more efficient and more accurate, often right from the touch of your smartphone or tablet.
Drone technology was slow to rise to the top, due to mapping inadequacies and cost, but has since become a staple in the industry. Soil analysis, crop monitoring, spraying, and health assessments are only a few of the technology capabilities available with drones. While this is an instrument more farmers are willing to use, there are still concerns about privacy, safety, and training.
5) Monsanto-California lawsuits
In 2016, Dewayne Johnson filed a lawsuit against Monsanto claiming that glyphosate, the active ingredient in their weed killers, Roundup and RangerPro, gave him cancer (specifically non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma). The crux of the case hinged on glyphosate being labeled a probable carcinogen in 2015 by the International Agency on Cancer Research — findings that have since routinely been found to be misleading. The federal court ruled in favor of Johnson, stating that Monsanto had failed to warn consumers of the cancer risks. Tens of millions of dollars were ruled to be paid out in that case and a subsequent liability case, with a third netting an astounding award of $2 billion.
There have been thousands of lawsuit cases opened across the country against Bayer/Monsanto, and the debate of whether glyphosate is a cancer risk is hotly debated in mainstream and social media. Nearly all scientific bodies and associated research, however, have affirmed the safety of glyphosate.
6) Failure of state-by-state GMO labeling initiatives in the U.S.
In 2018, the USDA announced it would release food labeling requirements that clarified which products contained GMO crops.
In past years, individual states had the jurisdiction to require such a label, but mostly, this initiative failed. In California, Prop 37 was pushed to help create clarification of food products with genetically engineered crops. However, those against passing the law claimed it would further confuse consumers, allow many exemptions, and raise food costs. Prop 37 ultimately failed, as with many other states.
7) Inclement weather disasters on crops
The past decade has brought about many extreme weather events, which have had a seriously negative impact on crops and livestock across the nation. The year 2011, specifically, brought with it extreme tornadoes, drought, Hurricane Irene, and massive snowstorms that tore through the nation and caused a total loss of 24.2 billion in property and crop damages. Many people lost their homes, loved ones and livelihoods during this disastrous period.