"had some well placed Monsanto people in attendance "

 The people M sends to those meetings are only PR punching bags.  Every company has them to make the customers feel like they have a voice.  They may act like they got big jobs but they are just marketing reps, go back to HQ's and tell them the farmers are grouchy, must be the weather.  OK, we'll drop our seed $10 and that might make them a little happier for a while.  And it works.