The shovels went into the ground Wednesday, marking the start of a $27-million expansion at the BASF Agricultural Solutions Canola Breeding Centre of Innovation.
Brent Collins, the Head of Seeds and Traits for BASF Agricultural Solutions, said the additional space will enhance "all of the activities that our breeding and our genetics team do."
"It's more bench space, but it's also the inclusion of many new novel techniques for breeding and genomic selection that are very important for us to continue to maintain Invigor as the leading brand in Western Canada." Collins said.
Paul Rea is the senior vice present of BASF Agricultural Solutions North America. He says the lab enhancements are critical to implementing genomic selection at scale, enabling faster and more precise breeding decisions and accelerating gains across all of the InVigor hybrid canola programs.
The team here can shorten innovation cycles, speeding up the rate of advancement that farmers can feel every single year," said Rea. "A new advanced research-grade glasshouse will also be built, which will further strengthen research capabilities, enhancing our ability to deliver an Invigor hybrid that continues to address agronomic challenges that farmers face every season, like disease and increased market demand for yield."
Maximillian Becker is a Member of the Management Board at BASF Agricultural Solutions and is based in Germany. He says they view Canada as an "innovation engine"
"For BASF, our strategic priority is to grow our seed business," Becker said. "And as I said, canola we view as the flagship of that franchise. With the innovation coming, that's something that we're just going to build and look forward to in the future, with a strong foundation and one that we continue to expand also in other crops."
Becker said approximately 10 per cent of yearly revenue is re-invested in research.
About 60 people work at the Canola Breeding Centre of Innovation northeast of Saskatoon. The expansion is expected to be complete by the end of next year.
(With files from Neil Billinger, CJWW)
