The Square Deal is a fixture in Eagleville, a place where farmers and townspeople can go for lightbulbs, greeting cards, hunting gear, ice cream, aspirin, and dozens of other small items without having to drive to a big-box store in Bethany. Everyone knows Rinehart, who was born and raised in the area and runs one of Eagleville’s few surviving businesses. A stranger approached the counter and verbally attacked Rinehart, claiming he had proof that Rinehart had planted Monsanto's genetically modified soybeans in violation of the company's patent.

Rinehart, a small country store owner in a town of 350 people, insisted, 'You got the wrong guy.' The stranger persisted and made threats, stating: 'Monsanto is big. You can't win. We will get you.' Scenes like this are playing out across rural America as Monsanto targets farmers, co-ops, and seed dealers suspected of patent infringement.

Monsanto relies on a shadowy army of private investigators and agents who fan out into fields and farm towns, secretly videotaping and photographing farmers and store owners. Farmers say some agents pretend to be surveyors and try to pressure them to sign papers granting access to private records. Farmers call them the 'seed police' and describe their tactics as 'Gestapo' and 'Mafia.' Monsanto declined to comment specifically, stating the company is simply protecting its patents.

A Monsanto spokesman wrote that the company spends over $2 million a day in research and is obligated to enforce patent rights against those who 'reap the benefits of the technology without paying for its use.'.