Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

JohnyCanuck

(9,922 posts)
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 06:56 AM Oct 2015

5 Reasons Monsanto Is Crashing and Burning (well, we can certainly hope so)

But for now, I'll restrain myself and withhold any enthusiastic shouts of joy.

NB: Permission has been granted to reproduce the following article in its entirety.

5 Reasons Monsanto Is Crashing and Burning
By Eric Blair

It’s hard to believe that the once almighty Monsanto is on its knees. But their dirty deeds seem to have finally caught up with them.

Monsanto shares have already dropped 27 percent this year and they just posted fourth quarter losses wider than estimates.

They also announced cost-saving measures to counter their plunge; deep cuts to their workforce and exiting the sugarcane business.

Bloomberg reports:

Monsanto Co. said it will eliminate 2,600 jobs as part of a cost-savings plan, joining a growing list of major corporations struggling to contain the damage from the decline in world commodities prices.

The St. Louis-based agricultural giant announced the reductions — the equivalent of 12 percent of its workforce — as it reported a loss of 19 cents a share in the fiscal fourth quarter and warned profit would remain weak through 2016.

Monsanto enjoys a near monopoly on corn and soybean in North America. They appear to have it all; they own the farmers, the industry, the politicians, and the regulators. And, yet, they’re crashing and burning.

Bloomberg cites slumping commodity prices for Monsanto’s decline. “Like DuPont Co. and Glencore Plc, Monsanto, the world’s largest seed maker, is taking steps to combat the effects of a commodity slump…”

However, here are 5 real reasons Monsanto is tanking:

1. Consumer activism: The market doesn’t want herbicide-soaked genetically modified food anymore. As people are becoming more health conscious, they prefer to eat organic food. It’s really that simple.

2. Lawsuits with farmers: Monsanto spends untold resources suing family farms for copyright infringement. Farmers are forbidden from saving patented seeds year to year. Additionally when Monsanto’s GMO crops pollute neighboring farms, Monsanto sues those farms too. Not a great business model when your primary customers are farmers. An organic farmer in Australia is hoping to reverse this revolting practice.

3. Funding anti-labeling campaigns in multiple states is draining Monsanto of millions of dollars. This seems to be the majority of their “marketing” budget. They spent at least $8M in 2012, over $9M in 2013 in Washington State alone, and combined for $8M to defeat just a county initiative in Maui County Hawaii this past year.

4. Flagship product causes cancer: A recent World Health Organization report concluded that the active chemical used in Monsanto’s flagship product “Glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans.” This unsettling realization hasn’t even begun to sink in yet. Although some cancer-stricken farm workers are suing the big “M” over their illness with many more likely to do the same.

5. National bans: An increasing number of countries are banning either GMOs or certain pesticides, or both. At least 15 European Union members move to ban GMO crops. Meanwhile some small nations like Bermuda and Colombia have banned glyphosate.

To summarize, when people no longer want a product, market share and regulatory control mean nothing. This a long-term problem for Monsanto that can’t be fixed with cost-savings measures. That is why they’re doomed.

Eric Blair writes for Activist Post under Creative Commons. You have full permission to share or repost this article in its entirety. ''

http://www.activistpost.com/2015/10/5-reasons-monsanto-is-crashing-and-burning.html

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
5 Reasons Monsanto Is Crashing and Burning (well, we can certainly hope so) (Original Post) JohnyCanuck Oct 2015 OP
I think they are planning to circumvent the bans by countries using the new "trade" agreements. djean111 Oct 2015 #1
"5. National bans: An increasing number of countries are banning either GMOs or certain pesticides," bananas Oct 2015 #2
Well deserved decline... tecelote Oct 2015 #3
That video is VERY misleading. progressoid Oct 2015 #17
The 'Everything Is Just Chemicals' argument is fallacious cprise Oct 2015 #25
This message was self-deleted by its author Pacifist Patriot Oct 2015 #4
But, but, but...........science! roody Oct 2015 #5
I read the other day that they are shifting the focus of their business to 'big data'. Ed Suspicious Oct 2015 #6
Ag data. Not your google searches. progressoid Oct 2015 #18
Thanks. That makes sense. Ed Suspicious Oct 2015 #19
Hugh Grant, CEO of Monsanto... gregcrawford Oct 2015 #7
Crashing and Burning? Really? Gamecock Lefty Oct 2015 #8
I don't know a thing about the honeybees or the CEO quote; but, dae Oct 2015 #10
And saturating our food PatSeg Oct 2015 #11
Intended or not smilingwen Oct 2015 #22
Dan Charles of NPR on Monsanto and GMOs yellowcanine Oct 2015 #9
And bracing myself for the usual suspects PatSeg Oct 2015 #12
Exposed: Monsanto's Secret Trolling Department PatSeg Oct 2015 #13
Gucciardi!?? Bwahahahaha! progressoid Oct 2015 #20
the real dangers, of course, are the ones you DON'T have to pay MisterP Oct 2015 #15
Excellent point! PatSeg Oct 2015 #16
You were late - they beat you to it. Nihil Oct 2015 #24
I know! PatSeg Oct 2015 #26
And other, equally bad big ag companies would just step in to fill their shoes NickB79 Oct 2015 #14
I really wish PatSeg Oct 2015 #21
Me too. NickB79 Oct 2015 #23
The upside for the planet though PatSeg Oct 2015 #27
 

djean111

(14,255 posts)
1. I think they are planning to circumvent the bans by countries using the new "trade" agreements.
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 07:02 AM
Oct 2015

Wait and see.

bananas

(27,509 posts)
2. "5. National bans: An increasing number of countries are banning either GMOs or certain pesticides,"
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 07:18 AM
Oct 2015

1) k&fr = kick & fscking recommend.
2) k&fr = kick & fraking recommend.

1) fsck = file system check and/or intentional typo as temporary work-around stupid censorbots.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fsck

2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frak_%28expletive%29
Frak or frack is a fictional version of "fuck" first used in the 1978-Battlestar Galactica television series. It continues to be used throughout different versions of the Battlestar Galactica franchise as a profanity in science fiction.

tecelote

(5,122 posts)
3. Well deserved decline...
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 08:23 AM
Oct 2015

Monsanto Knew of Glyphosate/Roundup Cancer Link 35 Years Ago
http://www.globalresearch.ca/monsanto-knew-of-glyphosate-roundup-cancer-link-35-years-ago/5449462

The Case of Glyphosate: Product Promoters Masquerading as Regulators
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/08/24/the-case-of-glyphosate-product-promoters-masquerading-as-regulators/

Pesticides Linked To Increased Childhood Cancer Risk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pesticides-linked-to-increased-childhood-cancer-risk_55f6deb5e4b077ca094f9274

More Evidence of Roundup's Link to Kidney, Liver Damage
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/32585-more-evidence-of-roundup-s-link-to-kidney-liver-damage

Want to know what happens in your body when you switch from conventional food to organic?

&feature=youtu.be

---

But in the US, we know our priorities. profits over people.

progressoid

(49,992 posts)
17. That video is VERY misleading.
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 03:02 PM
Oct 2015

They only measured a few specific synthetic pesticides. Here's the big secret - Organic foods contain pesticides too! Most are natural, but many are added by the farmers (Yes, organic farmers use pesticides too).



About 99.9 percent of the chemicals humans ingest are natural. The amounts of synthetic pesticide residues in plant food are insignificant compared to the amount of natural pesticides produced by plants themselves. Of all dietary pesticides that humans eat, 99.99 percent are natural: they are chemicals produced by plants to defend themselves against fungi, insects, and other animal predators.

We have estimated that on average Americans ingest roughly 5,000 to 10,000 different natural pesticides and their breakdown products. Americans eat about 1,500 mg of natural pesticides per person per day, which is about 10,000 times more than the 0.09 mg they consume of synthetic pesticide residues.

http://potency.berkeley.edu/pdfs/Paracelsus.pdf


Naturally occurring pesticides that are rodent carcinogens are ubiquitous in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Cooking foods produces about 2000 mg per person per day of burnt material that contains many rodent carcinogens and many mutagens. By contrast, the residues of 200 synthetic chemicals measured by FDA, primarily synthetic pesticides, thought to be of greatest importance, average only about 0.09 mg per person per day. In a single cup of coffee, the natural chemicals that are known rodent carcinogens are about equal in weight to a year’s worth of synthetic pesticide residues that are rodent carcinogens, even though only 3% of the natural chemicals in roasted coffee have been adequately tested for carcinogenicity. This does not mean that coffee or natural pesticides are dangerous, rather, it makes assumptions about high- dose animal cancer tests for assessing human risk at low doses need reexamination. No diet can be free of natural chemicals that are rodent carcinogens

cprise

(8,445 posts)
25. The 'Everything Is Just Chemicals' argument is fallacious
Fri Oct 9, 2015, 06:34 AM
Oct 2015

Its similar to the oil industry pushing the view that "climate change happens all the time... big deal".

Naturally produced substances can also be hazardous, but the essential difference is that we have long experience with most of them in human history. And, yes, the fact that 'natural chemicals' are the product of some ecosystem does count for something; They are very likely to be biodegradable for one.

As for suggesting equivalence between coffee and (different) synthetic pesticides based on weight, well... I had to laugh.

Here is some reading that supports organic health claims:

Organic farming 'benefits biodiversity'
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32781136

Organic Food, Reduction In Male Birth Defects
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/advpub/2015/7/ehp.1409518.acco.pdf

Organic food reduces pesticide exposure
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150205174835.htm

Response to JohnyCanuck (Original post)

Ed Suspicious

(8,879 posts)
6. I read the other day that they are shifting the focus of their business to 'big data'.
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 09:31 AM
Oct 2015

They won't be Monsanto as we know them much longer.

progressoid

(49,992 posts)
18. Ag data. Not your google searches.
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 03:04 PM
Oct 2015
Monsanto is seeking to provide services, software and hardware tools that use data to help farmers boost their crop yields by understanding what is happening with their fields – including catching shifts in soil chemistry, being more precise with their seed choices and knowing how they should apply pesticides in various conditions.

But the agricultural-data field is crowded, Monsanto’s initial moves into the sector have had spotty results and the shifting narrative is a sharp departure from the vision Monsanto described just weeks ago, as it bid for Syngenta. That vision was of a future based on agricultural chemicals and high-tech seeds.
http://reut.rs/1L7stOB

gregcrawford

(2,382 posts)
7. Hugh Grant, CEO of Monsanto...
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 09:36 AM
Oct 2015

... reportedly said that it is his goal that all the food grown will be owned by Monsanto. Nice guy.

It would not surprise me if Monsanto, in collusion with Bayer, was actually trying to drive honeybees and other natural pollinators to extinction in order to strengthen the company's stranglehold on food production from seed to supper.

Monsanto is one of the most evil corporate entities ever to foul the planet, both literally and figuratively. That company's total annihilation would make the air fresher, and the Sun shine brighter... both literally and figuratively.

Gamecock Lefty

(700 posts)
8. Crashing and Burning? Really?
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 09:48 AM
Oct 2015

Folks, Monsanto is not “crashing and burning” because of labeling, GMOs, polluting rivers or other such nonsense. They are not crashing and burning at all.

The bottom line is Monsanto makes more dollars predominantly from their corn products and Chicago corn commodity prices have been down the last couple of years due to a glutton of product on the market. A lot of growers have switched to soybeans to make more cash per acre while corn prices are down. Monsanto makes more dollars from corn than beans, so their bottom line has suffered recently and we know how shareholders want to make their money (who doesn’t, right?). Hence a tightening of the belt and potential layoffs to improve the bottom line.

I know some of you may not like Monsanto, but a lot of good people work there (I live in STL now) – including some I personally know that are Bernie and Hillary supporters.

And regarding that comment that Hugh Grant wants to own the world's food supply - something like that. Total 100% BS! And that Monsanto, in conjunction with Bayer, actually wants to destroy the honeybee population? More crap.

Science over fear.

dae

(3,396 posts)
10. I don't know a thing about the honeybees or the CEO quote; but,
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 10:02 AM
Oct 2015

all the other stuff written about the GM products is on point. Monsanto GM seeds is not just about science, GM is also about controlling seed markets and farms.

PatSeg

(47,547 posts)
11. And saturating our food
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 10:26 AM
Oct 2015

with stronger and stronger herbicides while weeds become resistant to their poisons. This company serves no useful purpose whatsoever on this planet.

smilingwen

(52 posts)
22. Intended or not
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 07:37 PM
Oct 2015

The bees are dying at an alarming rate. My ex was a beekeeper with hundreds of hives and had to shut it down because he had such a hard time keeping them alive. Very scary for our food supply.

yellowcanine

(35,699 posts)
9. Dan Charles of NPR on Monsanto and GMOs
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 09:59 AM
Oct 2015

Dan Charles takes issue with some of what is said about GMOs and Monsanto. No one can claim that NPR or Dan Charles is a shill for Monsanto.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/10/18/163034053/top-five-myths-of-genetically-modified-seeds-busted

PatSeg

(47,547 posts)
12. And bracing myself for the usual suspects
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 10:39 AM
Oct 2015

"Monsanto and Others Caught Paying Internet ‘Trolls’ to Attack Activists"

<Surprisingly, it was actually a Monsanto employee that unintentionally let the truth behind their ‘discrediting operation’ slip in a conference with students that he may have forgotten was open to the public. In a conversation with students, Dr. William “Bill” Moar raved that Monsanto had established:

“An entire department” (waving his arm for emphasis) dedicated to “debunking” science which disagreed with theirs.”


snip

It’s so much easier to say someone is a ‘quack,’ or create some fictitious and anonymous accusation to plague their search data than it is to actually have a scientific debate on issues like Roundup’s admitted probable carcinogenic nature.>

http://naturalsociety.com/monsanto-and-others-caught-paying-internet-trolls-to-attack-activists/

progressoid

(49,992 posts)
20. Gucciardi!?? Bwahahahaha!
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 03:18 PM
Oct 2015

Anti-vaccine liar.
Frequent guest on Alex Jones' show.
Thinks flouride causes heart disease.

On the plus side, Natural News was awarded #1 Worst Anti-Science Website!

 

Nihil

(13,508 posts)
24. You were late - they beat you to it.
Fri Oct 9, 2015, 04:48 AM
Oct 2015

It's always a bonus to see people incorporating the words "progress" or "left" into
their usernames when they parrot the corporate talking points ...



PatSeg

(47,547 posts)
26. I know!
Fri Oct 9, 2015, 10:30 AM
Oct 2015

I find that hilarious. Its like they think liberals are a different species with their own unique language. They'd make terrible spies.

NickB79

(19,257 posts)
14. And other, equally bad big ag companies would just step in to fill their shoes
Thu Oct 8, 2015, 01:38 PM
Oct 2015

Despite the small inroads small-scale and organic agriculture have made in the global food supply over the past decade, megafarm/corporate agriculture is still a virtual monolith at this time.

People think that the sole reason we're fucked with regard to our food supply is Monsanto. They are wrong. We're fucked because we've decided that running massive farms with monocrops, and raising livestock in feedlots fed said monocrops, are the way to go to feed ourselves. As long as there is a demand for this kind of farming, there will be a demand for the seeds and chemicals the big ag companies (not just Monsanto) produce.

Deeper than this, we're fucked because there are just too damn many of us on this planet.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»5 Reasons Monsanto Is Cra...