Marvin Hayenga
Iowa State University

In this paper, the restructuring of the seed and chemical industries is discussed. Impacts on the herbicide and insecticide markets are detailed, along with the contractual relationships between biotechnology seed suppliers and farmers. Antitrust issues raised by the recent wave of merger and acquisition activity and intellectual property rights issues are briefly discussed.

Key words: Biotechnology; farmer technology fees; consolidation; chemical and seed industries; patent disputes.