IN A TIGHT-KNIT industry where it often seems like everyone knows everyone else, Wayne Barton and Brent Collins didn’t meet each other until last year, oddly enough. But they’ve had to get acquainted quickly now that they work together as part of the new BASF Canada. A lot of people at the Big 4 ag giants — BASF, Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva Agriscience (the spinoff ag com- pany resulting from the DowDuPont merger) — are in the same boat. “If you’re in industry or you’re a grower, there’s a good chance that the person you’re in the room with is being affected by the migration of all those assets that are moving around right now,” says Barton, BASF Canada’s manager of research and commercial development. “It’s a true industry migration right now, not just a couple of companies joining together but all the major players moving into new roles.” By further consolidating, agriculture’s biggest players say they’re helping feed the world by forcing change within their own business frameworks. Marc Zienkiewicz FORTHEBIG4, THEREVOLUTION ISNOW 14 GERMINATION.CA MARCH 2019