Steve McKibben, Clive

Letter to the Editor

My company and customers rely on competitive pricing of goods to stay in business. Reasonable pricing isn’t possible without sufficient competition.



Growing up in rural Iowa, I saw the challenges of farming. The proposed merger between Bayer-Monsanto would deal a devastating blow to agriculture and businesses that depend on it. This merger will raise costs for farmers by eliminating competition and eventually harm consumers by driving up the price of groceries, making Iowa families use more of their income to buy food.



The proposed merger hurts Iowa farmers by restricting choices for products they need to run their farm. If the merger were approved, just two companies would control the bulk of the soybean traits and corn seed in the U.S. This lack of competition would have devastating consequences for producers, sellers and consumers by increasing prices while lining the pockets of large corporations.



Further, when market participants are reduced, competition is eliminated. This merger has the ability to destroy the farmer’s negotiating power. This merger will undoubtedly give Bayer-Monsanto enough power to cripple Iowa farms and businesses across the country. If U.S. agriculture and the businesses that rely on it are to survive, this merger must be stopped.

— Steve McKibben, Clive