Decades of consolidation in the agri-food industry have left farmers with fewer options for buying seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, and some farmers worry that choices could further diminish after the announcement of a $66-billion (U.S.) merger between industry giants Bayer and Monsanto. University of Guelph professor Ken McEwan, production economics and agribusiness at the Ridgetown Campus, told the Globe and Mail that it’s too early to worry about the potential negative impacts of the merger. McEwan said higher profits might yield better agricultural research. He said competition is determined not by the number of stakeholders or manufacturers but by innovation, relationships and new products. McEwan is the campus director at Ridgetown.