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Missouri soybean groups win court case

The head of the Missouri Soybean Association says a huge victory for Missouri soybean farmers who contribute to the state checkoff has been won in a unanimous court ruling.

The lawsuit filed by the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and Mid-America Research and Development Foundation was heard in Jackson County Circuit Court against AgBorn Genetics LLC and resulted in an award of more than $600,000, “Our claim was that the for profit executives struck an unenforceable contract with the council back in 2006 and 2008 that purported to give AgBorn rights, and all rights, to the council’s soybeans e-technologies, across the board, and thankfully, the jury heard all of the evidence and the soybean farmers of the state won.”

Gary Wheeler says Ag Born Genetics has no rights to the merchandising council’s soybean seed technologies and this case settles that. The firm has been fined nearly $60,000. AgBorn Genetics was co-founded and is managed by former Missouri Soybean Association director of identity preservation Alex Stemme.