Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
August 11, 2009
Cargill has entered into an agreement with the
Wisconsin Alumni Research
Foundation (WARF) to license WARF’s patented canola breeding
technology. The technology – formally titled “Hybrid, spring
brassica napus with winter germplasm introgression” – involves
the use of traditional breeding techniques to introgress traits
from winter canola lines into spring canola lines, resulting in
higher spring yields. Introgression is the movement of a gene
from one species into the gene pool of another.
“Licensing this technology from WARF supports Cargill’s
commitment to development and innovation in the canola
industry,” said Jenny Verner, president,
Cargill Specialty Canola Oils. “Cargill is dedicated to
serving the entire canola supply chain, providing
high-yielding, specialty oil VICTORY® hybrids to farmers
that ultimately result in
Clear Valley® canola oil with zero grams trans fat per serving
and low levels of saturated fat for our customers and the
consumers they serve.”
About the technology
Spring canola varieties grown mainly in Canada and the northern
United States are typically lower yielding than winter type
canola varieties adapted to survive the more moderate winters in
Europe.
“WARF’s patented technology provides a method for transferring
many of the high-yielding components of winter canola into the
growth habit of a spring line,” said Paul Pucci, WARF licensing
associate. “The results are higher-yielding spring canola
hybrids adapted to the spring canola production areas of North
America. For Cargill, it means the opportunity to further
enhance the industry leading yields of its specialty oil
VICTORY® hybrids to the benefit of North American canola growers
and to continue to supply the increasing market for Cargill’s
Clear Valley® high stability canola oil – a valuable benefit to
farmers and throughout the entire supply chain.”
WARF is an independent, non-profit foundation chartered to
support research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is
the designated technology transfer organization for the
university. Since its founding in 1925, WARF has processed
approximately 6,000 inventions created by UW-Madison faculty and
staff, obtained 1,900 U.S. patents, and supported more than
54,000 research projects. Today, WARF offers more than 1,000
technologies for licensing.
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food,
agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.
Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 160,000
people in 67 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through
collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its
global knowledge and experience to help meet economic,
environmental and social challenges wherever it does business.
For more information, visit
www.cargill.com. |
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