10 GERMINATION.CA MARCH 2019 COMPANY NAMES, product brands and staff have been shuffled in the recent wave of mergers and acquisitions within the seed industry and more changes are in store as these revamped corporations find their footing on the global stage. Although they’ve grown in scale, these busi- nesses have promised collaborators and customers they’re still committed to bringing new agriculture solutions to market, believing that innovation can only be enhanced through their integrations. Going into a new calendar and crop year, here’s where the transitions currently stand. Bayer: Different but Familiar Bayer officially became the new and sole owner of Monsanto Company in June 2018. Divestments, as required by the U.S. Department of Justice, mean Bayer’s portfolio looks different, but familiar product names still endure. Bayer was required to divest itself of its ag product portfolio, which was purchased by BASF. Bayer now owns the Monsanto portfolio which includes brands such as DEKALB, Asgrow, Channel, Delaro and the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. BASF: Optimizing Footprint The past few months has seen BASF grow its business and global footprint with the acquisition of multiple Bayer product lines including seeds, seed treatments and herbi- cides, along with technology and research platforms, such as xarvio. The transaction also included the transfer of some Bayer employees and multiple facilities to BASF. According to Vincent Gros, senior vice-president for Global Integration Management in BASF’s Agricultural Solutions segment, the company’s holdings now include an additional five chemical production and formulation sites, 17 research and development sites and more than 200 regional seed production and breeding facilities around the world. Syngenta: Doubling Down Syngenta was acquired by ChemChina in 2017. This private ownership gives Syngenta advantages, a spokes- person said, like the uninterrupted investment in research and development that exceeds more than $1.3 billion per year in seeds, crop protection and digital agriculture. DowDuPont: Now Corteva Dow and DuPont successfully merged their operations in the fall of 2017 and now have set their sights on the sepa- ration of their Agriculture Division, Corteva Agriscience, by June 2019. Corteva has already launched its new seed brand, Brevant Seeds, in Canada. The Brevant brand has replaced the Dow Seeds brand. Brevant brand seed products will be available in a range of crops including corn, soy, sorghum and wheat. The Brevant brand is not planned for launch in the United States. “In addition to our two global seed brands, we will continue to offer quality country- and region-specific seed brands that complete one of the broadest, most diverse seed portfolios in the world,” said Tim Glenn, Agriculture Division seeds business platform vice-president, in a statement. Acquisitions, mergers change the business landscape.Maria Brown SUPERSIZED SEED