By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Construction has started on DuPont Pioneer’s new 22,500-square-foot multi-million dollar corn research facility in Lethbridge, Alberta.
The research centre will focus on developing ultra-early maturity corn products for growers in Alberta and Western Canada. DuPont Pioneer, formerly Pioneer Hi-Bred, says the facility could be expanded in the future to serve other crops as well.
DuPont Pioneer, a major producer of hybrid seeds for agriculture, expects the building to be open in November 2014.
“This facility supports our commitment to providing growers in Western Canada with more choice through the development of ultra-early corn products that may increase the profitability of their operations,” Steve King, corn research director for DuPont Pioneer said in a release.
The company already has a 7-year-old canola production plant nearby. And the location of the new corn facility was chosen largely because the climate in the region is considered ideal for product development. Research is well underway, with the first corn trails planted this spring.
Municipal officials have been involved throughout the building planning stages. “We are extremely pleased to welcome the new DuPont Pioneer research facility to the region,” Reeve Lorne Hickey, of Lethbridge County said in a release. Edmonton-based Northern Development and Investment Group Inc. are the contractors for the facility.
The company says the new facility will be a job creator for the region. Additionally, DuPont Pioneer has several noteworthy investments in other facilities across Canada that deal with corn, canola and soybeans crops. The company sells seeds to farmers in 90 countries around the world.
(Contributed photo: Travis Coleman, DuPont Pioneer research scientist, explains the site of new DuPont Pioneer research facility in Lethbridge, Alberta with Cheryl Dick, Chief Executive Officer, Economic Development Lethbridge, Reeve Lorne Hickey, Lethbridge County and Martin Ebel, Economic Development Officer, Lethbridge County as Pioneer is welcomed once again to the community.)