NEW YORK (AP) — DuPont and Dow Chemical said Friday that they will hold separate shareholder meetings next month to vote on their merger.

Both meetings will be held on July 20. DuPont's meeting will take place at its Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters, and Dow Chemical's meeting will be at its Midland, Michigan, offices.

The two agriculture and chemical companies announced their plan to merge in December. After the merger, the companies plan to split the combined company into three separate publicly traded companies focused on agriculture, material science and specialty products.

DuPont and Dow Chemical Co. still expect the deal to close in the second half of this year. The split into three separate companies is expected to happen within two years after the merger.