This is the definitive history of Monsanto a St. Louis chemical firm that became the world's
largest genetically engineered seed enterprise. Monsanto merged with German pharma-biotech
giant Bayer in 2018 but its Roundup Ready seeds introduced twenty-five years ago are still
reshaping the farms that feed us. Incorporating global fieldwork interviews with company
employees and untapped corporate and government records award-winning historian Bartow J.
Elmore traces Monsanto's astounding evolution from a scrappy chemical startup to a global
agrobusiness powerhouse. Capitalising on deals with customers like Coca-Cola General Electric
and especially the US government Monsanto used seed money derived from toxic
products-including PCBs and Agent Orange-to build an agricultural empire promising endless
bounty through its genetically engineered technology. As new data emerges about its blockbuster
Roundup system and as Bayer faces a tide of lawsuits over Monsanto products past and present
Elmore's urgent history takes a penetrating look at the company's past.
