The American Soybean Association is vowing to analyze the proposed merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont.  The new combined company would result in the largest seed and crop-protection provider in the industry with $19 billion in ag sales.  President Richard Wilkins says they want to make sure the deal doesn’t negatively impact the marketplace for farmers.

Analysts have pegged the combined corn and soybean market share of the new company near 40-percent each.  Wilkins says despite that, it’s too early to take a position on the merger.

However, various agricultural stakeholders and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley are already urging scrutiny of the deal.  They’re cautioning that industry consolidation could leave an anti-competitive marketplace and bring higher costs to farmers and consumers alike.

Dow and DuPont executives don’t expect any need for antitrust divestments because the two companies largely complement each other in the major sectors.

According to a DowDuPont chart, the combined company would have about $3 billion more in sales than Monsanto, the next largest competitor, and Syngenta, which has about $14 billion in sales. Other sector leaders include Bayer with about $12 billion in crop-protection and seed sales, and BASF, which has about $7 billion in crop-protection sales.