September 9, 2008
Monsanto announces groundbreaking for new corn seed facility in Iowa
Monsanto Company hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking event marking the start of the construction phase for a new DEKALB corn seed production facility in Independence, Iowa.
Mark Leidy, Monsanto executive vice president, Manufacturing, led the groundbreaking on the US$90 million state-of-the-art facility.
In "phase one" of the facility's build out, scheduled for the fall of 2010, the new corn seed production plant will have two high-capacity dryers and green corn receiving lines, bulk storage, 175,000 square feet of warehouse space and a conditioning tower capable of packaging 1,200 bags of corn seed per hour.
The new facility is a significant part of a more than US$230 million planned investment by Monsanto in Iowa. Monsanto operates two other corn seed production facilities in Iowa, in the cities of Boone and Grinnell.
The company is also expanding its existing corn seed production facilities in the state and its facility in Ankeny, Iowa, the company's global hub for breeding research.