Winnipeg, Manitoba
July 27, 2009
As part of a comprehensive
strategy for its Canadian canola business,
Monsanto Canada today
announced details of a Cdn$15 million investment over the next
two years to support its long-term canola strategy and deliver
its pipeline of beneficial crop technologies to Canadian
farmers.
The announcement included details of the construction of the
new, state-of-the-art Monsanto Canada Plant Breeding Centre to
be located adjacent to the current site of Monsanto's corporate
Canadian head office located at the University of Manitoba's
SmartPark in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the upgrade and expansion of
Monsanto's Crop Technology Research Centre in Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan.
"Canola is a key strategic commercial imperative for Monsanto's
Canadian business and a significant crop for western Canadian
farmers," said Ryan Baldwin, Monsanto Canada's Seed and Traits
Lead. "The investment at SmartPark will allow us to increase
synergies between the breeding, product development, supply and
commercial aspects of our business to ensure we deliver on the
pipeline of new, beneficial crop technologies for our farm
customers."
The Monsanto Canada Breeding Centre - which will cover
approximately 29,000 sq. ft. and contain office space, labs and
greenhouses - will serve as the home to the majority of the
breeding effort for Monsanto's rapidly growing canola business.
Approximately 40 staff involved in line development breeding,
breeding support functions and the canola breeding management
team will work at the new site which will also include
laboratory facilities for all canola quality analytics, double
haploid breeding (tissue culture) and plant pathology. Plant
cultivation facilities such as growth rooms, convirons, soil
preparation areas and warehouse space are also incorporated into
the facility design and will accommodate activities related to
canola plant breeding such as crosses, plant cultivation, drying
and threshing.
The new Breeding Centre will be built to "LEED Silver"
certification - an eco-friendly seal of approval that recognizes
the company's commitment to sustainable, energy-efficient
building construction. Monsanto Canada previously invested Cdn$4
million to relocate its Canadian corporate head office to the
University of Manitoba campus in 2005.
"We are excited with the development of Monsanto Canada's new
Breeding Centre at SmartPark, an important addition to its
existing Canadian head office at the park," said Alan Simms,
President of SmartPark Research and Technology Park at the
University of Manitoba. "It reinforces Monsanto Canada's
commitment to our research park and it confirms that SmartPark
and Winnipeg can be a place where companies like Monsanto
Canada, with its world class research and global experience
delivering products to market, can deliver on their innovation
strategies."
Total cost of the construction of the breeding facility is
expected to run in the neighborhood of Cdn$10 million and
include an additional $2 million in capital costs. Construction
will begin in July 2009 with an anticipated completion date of
June 2010. Monsanto expects the new facility to be fully
occupied by December 2010.
The investment in infrastructure announced today supports an
annual research and development (R&D) spend for canola of more
than Cdn$20M per year. The company's current canola program is
focused on providing support for its Genuity(TM) canola trait
business; maximizing return on germplasm investment in canola
hybrids through the DEKALB(R) seed brand; and creating a new
germplasm and agronomic trait package, including bringing new
beneficial traits to canola that will include yield, nitrogen
use efficiency and drought tolerance genes.
"Monsanto's decision to expand its operations here creates a
welcome asset to Manitoba's biotech cluster, building on the
collective expertise available here and creating a positive
impact on the future of Canada's agriculture industry," said
Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Initiatives, Rosann Wowchuk. "This multinational agricultural
company is known internationally and brings more scientific,
educational and agricultural benefits for our producers and all
Manitobans."
Also included as part of today's announcement were details of an
expansion of Monsanto's new Crop Technology Research Centre
(CTRC) near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - a project that began in
the spring of 2008 when Monsanto purchased 159 acres of
previously leased land. Since then the project has designed and
built a 3,600 sq. ft. research farm office with associated
infrastructure. Total value of this investment in Saskatoon is
Cdn$3 million. Many of the canola hybrids developed by the
breeding group will be tested and advanced at this facility. As
well, all canola trait development and field testing will be
managed out of the CTRC.
"This commitment to new infrastructure is just the beginning,"
says Cory McArthur, Marketing Director for canola and crop
protection. "We have ramped up our investment in canola over the
past five years and we are already seeing some top-performing
new DEKALB hybrids like DKL 72-65RR and 72-55RR hitting the
market. Looking forward, we expect to see continued genetic
gains in our breeding program and this investment will be
further enhanced by new trait technologies as our pipeline
begins to deliver the products farmers have told us make a
difference on their farms."
Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Monsanto Canada Inc. is
part of the larger global Monsanto family. Monsanto Company is
an agricultural company and a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy. Learn more
about our business and our commitments at www.monsanto.ca. |
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