September 10, 2012

DuPont Pioneer is starting a US$2.5 million expansion of its Mankato corn research centre buoyed by an array of new research into better corn seed.

Dean Christensen, a DuPont Pioneer research fellow, said the research centre at the intersection of Highway 22 South and County Road 90 has been growing in recent years.

"We've added scientists and other folks to support the research. And the technology of breeding has changed a lot. There is a lot of genetic information as well as field tests and data collection. There's a lot more going on," Christensen said.

There are about 20 employees at the research centre.

Pioneer first established a research station in Mankato in 1958 and built in the current location south of Mankato in 1966. It was last remodelled and expanded in 1998.

DuPont Pioneer also has a headquarters on the northeast side of Mankato, which has been adding employees. That Northern Business Unit office serves Minnesota, the Dakotas and Wisconsin.

The 24,000-square-foot expansion of the research centre will include removing one building and adding a new machine and equipment building, renovation of office space and a new site plan to increase safety and efficiency.

The expansion is scheduled to be complete by mid-2013.