The state of Arkansas has decided to force my company, Syngenta, to sell 160 acres of land that we’ve owned in Craighead County since 1988. As a farm kid myself and a lifelong member of the agriculture community, I am incredibly dismayed at this departure from the kind of small-town neighborliness that characterizes the farming community. Our Syngenta site in Bay, Arkansas is a place where families work and play together while building a community.
We were disappointed by this shortsighted public ultimatum that doesn’t have the American farmers, or independent seed companies we serve, best interests at heart.
Whatever happened to the time-honored value of talking to your neighbor to work out a solution together before trying to run him out of town? What message does this send our employees who have families counting on them? And to our farmer cooperators and customers who depend on us for their livelihood?
As a leader at Syngenta Seeds, we would have welcomed the opportunity to talk with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin before last week’s press conference. We could have discussed the real needs of farmers in Arkansas, introduced them to the researchers at the site who serve both Arkansas and American farmers, and elaborated on Syngenta’s contributions as a 35-year member of the local community.
Syngenta’s work in the U.S. – including in Arkansas – continues to benefit American farmers, strengthen American agriculture, and make the U.S. a more innovative and competitive participant in the global agricultural marketplace.
Our agricultural land, including the 160 acres in Craighead County, is used for research, development, regulatory trials, and production to meet the needs of American farmers and to drive competition and innovation within the U.S. agricultural market.
Arkansas farmers grow their crops in Arkansas climate and soil conditions. Syngenta needs to be able to serve our Arkansas farmer customers and meet their unique needs by developing products – like seeds -- in the climate and growing conditions where they will be used.
We believe it is important for Arkansas farmers to have access to the same full range of agricultural products as farmers in other U.S. states. The actions by the state of Arkansas risk limiting Arkansas farmers’ options, raising their expenses, and making them less competitive with other states.
In specific response to the question of ownership: Syngenta North America is a company of employees dedicated to serving American farmers, with a global headquarters in Switzerland. As with many companies, and specifically in agriculture, our company has experienced many shifts over the years from when it was first founded in 1758 in Switzerland under the name Geigy, and ultimately became Syngenta after mergers in 2000.
There have also been ownership changes. It’s the nature of the industry, and a global marketplace. In 2015, Monsanto made a bid to purchase our company. That bid fell through, and then ChemChina stepped forward with an offer, which after extensive review by the U.S. government, was finalized in 2017. This transaction took place after our site in Arkansas was established and has not changed the structure or work taking place in Bay.
While we are owned by a Chinese company, let me make one thing clear: The suggestion that China is using Syngenta to purchase land or conduct operations in the U.S. for any purpose other than supporting the company’s commercial business in North America is simply false.
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We are committed to, and adhere to all government laws, regulations, and reviews for any land additions to the Syngenta portfolio. Furthermore, all Syngenta land holdings have been examined by the U.S. government, through two administrations, as Syngenta was transitioning to ChemChina ownership. Since Syngenta has had Chinese ownership, the company has purchased only an additional 200 agricultural acres – none of them in Arkansas. We own approximately 1,500 acres of agricultural land in the U.S., about the size of four average Arkansas farms.
We also respect and adhere to Arkansas law. After an internal review, we proactively updated our AFIDA filing, reflecting the change in the company’s ultimate ownership, and filed a copy with the State of Arkansas.
But a community is about so much more than land. In the 35 years Syngenta has been a proud part of the Arkansas community, we have developed strong and lasting personal and professional relationships, before and through our change in ownership. Our Arkansas employees have contributed to the local food bank, collected jackets and clothing for those in need, participated in toy drives, and donated office equipment locally. That’s in addition to helping Arkansas agriculture through their work, a commitment we have to farmers nationwide.
In fact, on Give to FFA Day 2023, Syngenta US employees and friends donated $103,085 to the National FFA in support of the agriculture education of the next generation. These donations were the leading source, surpassing John Deere. As a former state FFA officer whose extended family has served as county extension agents, agriculture education teachers and whose mom judges 4-H entries at county fairs, that news made me particularly proud!
Bottom line, our nearly 4,000 Syngenta employees in the United States remain passionately committed to serving Arkansas and American farmers. We will continue to do everything we can to deliver products and services for their success as they continue fulfilling their tremendous responsibility to feed the world.
Eric Boeck is the President of Syngenta Seeds, United States and Canada
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