In a joint announcement at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the Department of Justice unveiled a new memorandum of understanding aimed at improving market competition across the crop input sector-including seed, feed, and fertilizer.

"Farmers shouldn't be dealing with sky-high input prices in the middle of a commodity downturn," Rollins told attendees. "This is a new, populist GOP."

The effort marks a rare bipartisan push to restore competitive pressure in consolidated ag input markets-but stakeholders remain skeptical.

Industry Groups Welcome Pact, But Call for Clear Enforcement

American Seed Trade Association President Andy LaVigne said the group remains committed to ensuring reliable seed access during tough market conditions. The Agricultural Retailers Association expressed support for "fair and transparent markets" and for policies that support domestic input production and exports.

Syngenta, owned by ChemChina, offered a terse response: "Syngenta looks forward to working with USDA to better serve American farmers."

But independent seed groups want more than dialogue.

"It's been eight years. It's time to get something done," said Todd Martin, CEO of the Independent Professional Seed Association. "DOJ needs the strength of character to actually fix this for the American farmer."

Seed Patents, Generics, and Innovation Bottlenecks

Martin stressed that the issue isn't the innovation legacy of Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva, or BASF-it's the lack of generics and long patent timelines.

"It's time to see game-changing innovations again, like we did with Roundup Ready in 1995," he said.

Many biotech patents in corn are set to expire in 2027, which should allow generic products to enter the market. But Martin is doubtful.

"If DOJ does its job, we should see a flood of generics. But I don't believe that will happen."

Legal Experts Agree: Structural Fixes Needed

University of Wisconsin law professor emeritus Peter Carstensen said the issues are "immensely complicated," touching on patent law, trade law, and antitrust enforcement.

"A single seed might have up to 10 patents attached, extending its commercial protection by decades," he explained. "We're far too generous in what's considered a true invention."

Biden-Era Competition Initiatives Now in Question

Under former Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, USDA launched several efforts to boost seed market transparency-including the Farmer Seed Liaison in 2023 and a dedicated fairness reporting website.

However, multiple initiatives were quietly terminated in July 2025, including:

Farmer Seed Liaison contract

Agricultural Competition Partnership supporting state-level investigations

According to USDA's Erin Morris, these programs "no longer align" with current USDA priorities. Still, former project leaders hope their work will inform future agency strategy.

"We hope USDA builds on our insights-especially why farmers face high seed prices and limited variety access," said plant scientist Julie Dawson.

Next Steps: Execution Over Optics

Legal scholars and seed reform advocates say the MOU is a positive sign, but warn against restarting from scratch.

"We don't need to reinvent the wheel," said Carstensen. "The groundwork has already been laid. Now it's about action."

With 2027 patent expirations looming, and farmers still facing inflated input costs, pressure is rising on USDA and DOJ to go beyond statements and deliver market-level change.