Monsanto the Monopolizer

ST. LOUIS — Confidential contracts detailing Monsanto Co.'s business practices reveal how the world's biggest seed developer is squeezing competitors, controlling smaller seed companies and protecting its dominance over the multibillion-dollar market for genetically altered crops, an Associated Press investigation has found.

With Monsanto's patented genes being inserted into roughly 95 percent of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S., the company also is using its wide reach to control the ability of new biotech firms to get wide distribution for their products, according to a review of several Monsanto licensing agreements and dozens of interviews with seed industry participants, agriculture and legal experts.

The whole story is here

Here's a little history of Monsanto:

As you can see from the story above, this is a LARGE corporation, wielding unheard of power about ONE thing. Food. Simply put, small farmers throughout the world, will not be able to compete with a monolith like this. Monsanto's "Our Way or the Highway" mentality is ultimately destructive for the entire farming community worldwide. There has never been a company with this much power.

Here's some little facts you may or may not know about Monsanto:

Since 1995 they've spent in excess of $8 billion (US) buying seed companies.
It is estimated that Monsanto owns 11,000 patents on seeds.
Here's a little story about their Pollution Legacy.

I'll be posting more on this later as well as tweeting it.