The United States agricultural sector is currently defined by a small number of large companies controlling the seed market and the widespread use of plant variety patents.

目前美國農業部門的特徵在於少數幾家大公司控制著種子市場，以及植物品種專利的廣泛應用。

In the past, farming relied on a decentralized system where seeds were exchanged and developed by public researchers to prevent total crop failure. However, this changed in the 20th century when it became legal to patent living organisms. This shift allowed large chemical companies to gain exclusive rights to engineered traits, such as resistance to herbicides. Consequently, farmers were stopped from saving seeds, and public researchers found it harder to improve existing plant varieties.

過去，農業依賴於一個去中心化的系統，種子由公共研究人員交換並開發，以防止作物全面歉收。然而，這種情況在 20 世紀發生了變化，當時法律允許對生物體申請專利。這一轉變使得大型化學公司能夠獲得基因工程特徵（例如抗除草劑）的獨家權利。因此，農民被禁止留種，而公共研究人員發現改良現有植物品種變得更加困難。

Market data shows that a few companies hold most of the power. According to the Department of Agriculture, two companies control over 70% of corn and soybean seed sales, while four firms control about 94% of the cottonseed market. This has led to unfair pricing; since 1990, the cost of engineered seeds has risen by 463%, while crop prices for farmers only rose by 56%. Furthermore, a 2025 study emphasized that federal subsidies may actually drive seed prices higher, moving public money from farmers to corporate shareholders.

市場數據顯示，少數公司掌握了大部分權力。根據農業部資料，兩家公司控制了超過 70% 的玉米和大豆種子銷售，而四家公司則控制了約 94% 的棉花種子市場。這導致了不公平的定價；自 1990 年以來，基因工程種子的成本上升了 463%，而農民的作物價格僅上升了 56%。此外，一項 2025 年的研究強調，聯邦補貼實際上可能會推高種子價格，將公共資金從農民轉移到企業股東手中。

Strict licensing and the threat of lawsuits continue to block agricultural research. These barriers prevent the government from identifying weaknesses in essential crops. However, there may be a change in regulation. In May 2026, the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division argued in a case between Corteva and Inari that genetic information used for patents should not be restricted. The Department asserted that current patent laws may be creating an unfair barrier to market competition.

嚴格的授權以及對訴訟的恐懼持續阻礙農業研究。這些障礙阻止了政府識別重要作物的弱點。然而，監管法規可能會有所改變。2026 年 5 月，司法部反壟斷局在 Corteva 與 Inari 之間的案件中主張，用於專利的基因資訊不應受到限制。司法部斷言，現行的專利法可能會為市場競爭創造不公平的障礙。

The seed industry is still dominated by a few powerful firms, but recent actions by the Department of Justice could change the legal rules regarding genetic research and competition.

種子產業仍由少數幾家強大公司主導，但司法部最近的行動可能會改變關於基因研究與競爭的法律規則。