Big Ag’s Deep Roots: An Historical Look At Corporate Concentration In The Agricultural Inputs Sector

The dominance of just a handful of top firms in the agricultural inputs sector has a long history that precedes the recent blockbuster mergers in the sector by well over a century. This article traces the longstanding pattern of concentration across the farm machinery, fertilizer, seeds and pesticides industries with a focus on two key periods in which consolidation was rampant: 1) the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and 2) the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The analysis shows that both