How everyone pays the cost for patents on seeds, and private companies get rich from keeping them secret

When huge companies assert their patents, smaller businesses and public plant breeders are dissuaded from conducting research that might not be illegal at all.

By: Julie Dawson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Kiki Hubbard, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Paulina Jenney, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 23, 2026

Words: 1,606

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Julie Dawson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Kiki Hubbard, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Paulina Jenney, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The United States is one of only a handful of countries that allows companies to hold patents on plant varieties. As a result, a small number of corporations can – and do – suppress competition in the seed industry, stifle innovation and turn taxpayer subsidies intended for farmers into corporate profits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has …

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