America's Federal Trade Commission took almost a year to approve the takeover of Ralston Purina in 2001.

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The mayor was also hurt during the home stretch of the campaign when Ralston Purina, a giant food corporation, an nounced it was thinking of moving out of the city, and when the only public hospital in the region said it would close this summer because the city had failed to contribute its share of the budget.

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Furthermore, the marketing of the seed was fragmented, with individual gins trying to negotiate with the likes of Palmolive, Wesson Oil, and Ralston-Purina.

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Ralston-Purina is another major customer for cottonseed meal.

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