June 8, 2007

Cargill opens canola research farm in Canada

Cargill Specialty Canola Oil has opened its specialty canola research farm on a long-term lease in a specialty canola research farm in Aberdeen, Saskatchewan province in Canada.

The research farm, located 30 miles from the company's canola crush facility in Clavet, will serve as the supporting arm of Cargill's specialized hybrid breeding and production trials that will centre on developing high-yielding agronomic traits and the next generation of output traits.

The farm offers 150 acres of high-quality crop land, along with an irrigation system capable of delivering a minimum of 5 million gallons of river water each year, which is vital to the nurseries and for conducting yield trials during the growing season. Planting at the research farm will begin with the current crop year just now getting underway.

Alan Willits, president of Cargill's Specialty Canola Oil business said the Aberdeen research farm will enable Cargill to centralise its hybrid breeding programme in the commercial production region and to demonstrate Cargill's commitment to serve the entire supply chain in providing high-yielding Victory canola hybrids and oils with low saturated fat and zero trans fats to food consumers.

While Aberdeen becomes the main research farm for Cargill's canola breeding program, the company will continue to maintain its existing trial stations in Camrose, Alberta and Elm Creek, Manitoba.