[jfengel]

Of course it is. Nobody else is going to fund such research.

That's true in pretty much every industry. That's why papers have "conflicts" sections, so you know who's funding it, and can take that into account. That doesn't make it wrong. You just need to put it in context.

[Retric]

A great deal of agricultural research is funded/carried out by governments who don’t have a vested interest in a particular outcome beyond general improvement.

A secure global food supply benefits the general public not just argo businesses. In essence everyone has a vested interest in farming.