Monsanto, according to its petition, dominates the soybean seed market and its "Roundup Ready" variety is used to grow about 90 percent of the nation's crop for the estimated 275, 000 American soybean farmers like Bowman.

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Surrounded by corn, soybean and dairy farms, Athens is about 12 miles from Battle Creek, home to cereal maker Kellogg Co.

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Corn, he concedes, is an energy-intensive crop, but Tumbleson says he may be better off than wheat or soybean farmers because corn is in just about everything we eat.

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In 2012, the world's most populous country imported 59% of the world's soybean supply, according to FAO data, up from about 25% in 2000.

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Scouts trudged into fields of both corn and soybean along a direct westerly route across the Midwest region that accounts for about 75 percent of U.S. corn and soy production.

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Its Roundup Ready variety is used to grow about 90 percent of the nation's crop for the estimated 275, 000 American soybean farmers like Bowman, according to its petition.

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