Dow, DuPont Complete $130B Merger, Setting Up Indiana Job Shifts

The $130-billion merger of chemical and material manufacturing giants Dow and DuPont is now official, nearly two years after it was first announced.

In the next 18 months, the newly created DowDuPont will split into three businesses – for material sciences, specialty products and agricultural chemicals.

The agriculture division stands to affect Indiana the most. Dow AgroSciences has 1,500 workers in Indianapolis, and more at seed and chemical dealerships statewide.

Once it spins off, the agribusiness will be headquartered in Wilmington, DE – meaning corporate workers may have to move there. It’s less clear where other employees, like researchers and engineers, will go.

Workers at DuPont Pioneer in Iowa were promised they could stay there, but there’s no word yet on what will happen to others in Indiana.

The new ag company is set to be the largest seed and chemical retailer in the world.

Some Hoosier farmers are worried that will raise prices on seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and weed-killers. Others hope DowDuPont’s size and combined resources will let it develop more effective products, more quickly.