Monsanto Essay

Company Overview

Monsanto, one of the leading agrochemical corporations in the world, was founded by John. R. Queeny in Greater, Missouri, around 1901. Although Monsanto currently produces and markets agricultural chemicals and products, this multinational corporation began by manufacturing food additives such as saccharin and vanillin, synthetic substitutes for sugar and vanilla bean flavoring. In the early 1920’s, Monsanto began making its own sulfuric acid, and by 1940, led as one of the top plastic manufacturers in the United States. This corporation has also made groundbreaking technological advances in synthetics and LED lights. Although the corporation has proven to be versatile since its wake in 1901, controversial practices have kept certain brands under the spotlight. In the 1980’s , the Monsanto corporation began to veer more into biotechnology and began planting genetically modified crops. Since the 80’s, the company has kept its focus on herbicides, pesticides and crop seeds.

Increasing product yield while conserving is currently Monsanto's main initiative. By 2030, Monsanto plans on doubling its current core crop yield by using ⅓ fewer resources. The company currently operates in two divisions, agricultural productivity(39% of sales), and seeds and genomics(61% of sales) . The agricultural productivity division assembles and sells herbicide products, while the genomics division produces row-crop seeds. The corporation oversees and partners with over 37 brands worldwide. One of the most notable Monsanto brands would have to be Roundup, a herbicide that offers powerful and consistent weed control. Roundup is offered in a variety of spinoffs such as Roundup ProMAX, Roundup Weathermax and Roundup Concentrate. Another important Monsanto brand is Seminis, the world's largest developer of vegetable