Seeds of Monopoly: US Seed Industry Dominated by Just a Few Powerful Companies
The US government has found that two companies control over 70% of U.S. corn and soybean seed sales, while the top four cottonseed companies hold nearly 94%. This concentration of power allows dominant seed companies to suppress competition in the industry.
A May 2026 court filing by the Department of Justice stated that patents on seeds are obstructing research and development in the agriculture sector. Researchers who work with plant breeding and seed policy have seen how this plays out, with smaller businesses and public plant breeders often being dissuaded from conducting research due to the threat of patent infringement lawsuits.
Historically, farmers freely saved, exchanged, and planted seeds season after season, creating a diverse range of crops suited to their local needs. However, as governments began granting patents on living organisms in the 20th century, companies saw opportunities to earn money by engineering specific traits into crop plants and patenting those varieties.
The result is that seed companies have enough market power to set prices so high they take nearly all of farmers' potential profits. According to a USDA report, the price for genetically engineered seeds has more than quintupled since 1990, rising by 463%, while the price farmers receive for their crops has increased only by 56%.