Sorry, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Seed producers need farmers as much as farmers need them. Your comment doesn't even fit some crops. For example, rice and sugar cane. No "seed producers" own the sugar cane varies currently grown in Louisiana. The same goes for most of the rice grown in Louisiana, too. Just who are these "fair number of people" and where have they said this?
Finally my observation is that the farmers are usually the driving force behind plant breeders. It is the farmer that tells the plant breeder he needs a variety that he can start harvesting a week earlier, one that sets its fruit higher to make it easier to harvest, and so on. I know this because I used to serve on a committee that allowed plant breeders and researchers to interact with farmers.