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In a few weeks it is quite likely that Monsanto will disappear as an independent company, and become part of Bayer. Monsanto has been an iconic company that drastically changed the plant-breeding sector in a manner resembling the changes brought by Microsoft and Apple in computing and Tesla in cars. Monsanto will be gone but its products and actions will endure.

Monsanto has its shares of triumphs and controversies. One of its scientists won the Nobel Prize for developing a chemical used to treat Parkinson’s disease, and the company supported breakthrough research on cancer. It introduced the first mass-produced LEDs, which drastically reduce energy use for lights. It invented several important chemicals and even invented AstroTurf, among others. It also produced DDT (which helped combat malaria) and Agent Orange, and both were tragically misused. Altogether it was a solid chemical company, but not a dominant player.

In the 1980s its management team recognized the potential of new knowledge in molecular biology, stemming from the discovery of DNA and gene transformation technologies, to address pest and disease control — especially in agriculture. The company changed direction, invested heavily in developing an excellent research team in biology and life science….