December 25, 2008

Monsanto delays opening of new seed corn plant

Monsanto will delay the opening of its US$100 million seed corn plant near Independence, Iowa, for a year due to record seed production, said the company on Tuesday (Dec 23).

Site work will begin in the spring and a US$2.5 million breeding research station will be built in 2009 as part of the project, said company spokesman Darren Wallis.

Monsanto will undertake site upgrading and infrastructure build-out on the land to support the facility, including improved roads and increased capacity on gas lines, said Wallis.

Wallis said the Independence plant does not need to be operational until 2011 due to the increase in seed production and major expansions of its other plants in Iowa.

With the capacity in Grinnell's plant, Monsanto will be able to meet the demand, though the company will continue to invest in the Independence facility due to anticipated increase in demand, said Wallis.