Northwest Iowa — Wednesday’s announcement that Bayer would take over Monsanto for $66-billion is raising red flags with a group representing farmers in our area, and across the country.
National Farmer’s Union representative Zack Clark says the deal would negatively impact farmers.
Bayer, based in Germany, announced Wednesday it would acquire seed and pesticide firm Monsanto for $66-billion. Clark says mergers like these can also result in the loss of off-farm jobs that many families rely on for additional income. NFU plans to oppose the Bayer-Monsanto deal in a similar way to other recent agribusiness mergers.
The NFU says they are also considering getting involved in the Department of Justice lawsuit against John Deere and Precision Planting in the wake of that merger.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next Tuesday to discuss the impact of the recent mergers in the agriculture industry. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is chairman of that committee.
