Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–77 of 77 posts

Re: Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

#71

Post by maxerickson »

M_Grey wrote: post #70
maxerickson wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The typical US farm is a family owned business. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/201431/eib24b_1_.pdf A key para Ninety-eight percent of U.S. farms are family farms. The remaining 2 percent are nonfamily farms, which produce 15 percent of the value of agricultural output (fig. 4). Two features of family farms stand out. First, there are many small family farms ( So large closely held farms produce 60% of US output and s…

The number of "family farms", however you choose to define that as a meaningful term, is roughly the same percentage. the output has dropped below 50% of total agricultural output however. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-informatio... Farming is still an industry of family businesses. Ninety-nine percent of farms are family farms, and they account for 90 percent of farm production. Small farms make…

If you choose to include midsize and large scale family farms in "family farms", then your source contradicts, the output has dropped below 50% of total agricultural output however. It says as much in the portion you quoted.

Farms have gotten larger as equipment has gotten larger and more effective. This isn't particularly shocking. But much of the consolidation has been individuals and families building up large farms over time.

It certainly appears that production will continue to concentrate under fewer and fewer operators, so the scary stories about the corporate takeover of farming can still come true.

Re: Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

#72

Post by M_Grey »

maxerickson wrote: post #71
M_Grey wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The number of "family farms", however you choose to define that as a meaningful term, is roughly the same percentage. the output has dropped below 50% of total agricultural output however. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-informatio... Farming is still an industry of family businesses. Ninety-nine percent of farms are family farms, and they account for 90 percent of farm production. Small farms make…

If you choose to include midsize and large scale family farms in "family farms", then your source contradicts, the output has dropped below 50% of total agricultural output however . It says as much in the portion you quoted. Farms have gotten larger as equipment has gotten larger and more effective. This isn't particularly shocking. But much of the consolidation has been individuals and families building up large fa…

Again, are they "scary stories" or just the reality of where most of our food comes from? I'm also still curious about just how meaningful the term "Family farm" is.

Re: Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

#73

Post by maxerickson »

M_Grey wrote: post #72
maxerickson wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you choose to include midsize and large scale family farms in "family farms", then your source contradicts, the output has dropped below 50% of total agricultural output however . It says as much in the portion you quoted. Farms have gotten larger as equipment has gotten larger and more effective. This isn't particularly shocking. But much of the consolidation has been individuals and families building up large fa…

Again, are they "scary stories" or just the reality of where most of our food comes from? I'm also still curious about just how meaningful the term "Family farm" is.

Reread my initial comment. Look for where I use the term. I avoided it on purpose because I think that part of it is a boring discussion.

The majority of our food comes from huge farms running huge machinery. Thousands and thousands of those huge farms are owned by small groups (there's a few million farms in the US, so even 1% of them is still a lot). Are those groups families? Some of the are, some of them aren't.

Re: Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

#74

Post by pitaj »

shaqbert wrote: post #4

And yet another global industry is now so concentrated that free market forces are fully contained ... What we eat will be decided in Germany and China now. Guten Appetit!

> free market forces

Many would claim that any implementation of IP violates the free market. Monsanto lives off of IP.

Re: Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

#75

Post by MichaelMoser123 »

MichaelMoser123 wrote: post #28

The faz says that in other news ChemChina is buying Syngenta - these are two big companies; Are there any hidden reasons why agriculture tech companies are so interested in mergers these days? Hmm.. here [1] it says that "three straight years of declining prices for major crops have pressured profits and forced companies to scale back staff and research."; Does that explain the pressure for mergers in this area? [1]…

i am wondering about the larger impact of agricultural issues on the economy & politics; i wonder if anyone ran a study of this factor over the long run:

for example the crash of 2008 was preceded by a long drought that caused a steep increase of food prices; also Arab countries were then unable to keep up food subsidies, so the Arab spring came and forced the governments out; Also the French revolution was preceded by a drought + the French state was basically bankrupt.

Re: Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

#76

Post by dx034 »

allendoerfer wrote: post #59
forgetsusername wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody in their right mind wants to legalize heroin. What cave do you live in where heroin and other opiate usage isn't already a massive issue, even though it's illegal? Are you going to start mainlining heroin just because it's legal? I'm not. The point of legalization is to stop throwing addicts in jail.

> The point of legalization is to stop throwing addicts in jail. What cave do you live in where you have to legalize heroin to do that? Please visit the link I posted before your comment. You do not have to legalize heroin to supply clean needles, clean rooms and not prosecute junkies. You can do all that, still keep it illegal to sell and hunt down the dealers.

I think it's less about legalization but rather about decriminalizing it. Making these drugs legal could potentially be dangerous as it sends a message that they are safe to use.

But if you get caught buying or possessing drugs for personal use, this shouldn't have any legal consequences. Portugal is one example, but many European countries do this at least for some drugs.

Re: Bayer confirms $66bn Monsanto takeover

#77

Post by newman8r »

M_Grey wrote: post #72
maxerickson wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you choose to include midsize and large scale family farms in "family farms", then your source contradicts, the output has dropped below 50% of total agricultural output however . It says as much in the portion you quoted. Farms have gotten larger as equipment has gotten larger and more effective. This isn't particularly shocking. But much of the consolidation has been individuals and families building up large fa…

Again, are they "scary stories" or just the reality of where most of our food comes from? I'm also still curious about just how meaningful the term "Family farm" is.

one thing I noticed is that the document didn't define "family farm" to my satisfaction, but maybe I missed it.

It is worth noting that my family/their farm qualifies some of them as 1%ers (bayfront house in Newport which has architectural significance, members of several country clubs, etc). Personally I have decided to forego 100% of my inheritance and let my sisters take it (I have no problem with being rich, but I do believe that having an inheritance hanging over your head is an innovation killer)

Post reply on HN