BASF marks 25-year partnership with USask Crop Development Centre with $100K investment

The announcement celebrates the 25-year partnership between BASF and the renowned CDC field crop research organization. This pledge is in addition to the more than $12 million BASF has already invested in the research and development of crop genetics, facility enhancements, and the commercialization of new pulse and wheat varieties for Canadian farmers over the last two decades with the CDC. 

“The partnership of CDC and BASF is one of the longest-standing public-private partnerships in Canadian agriculture. It has played a vital role in enabling CDC to deliver on its mandate to improve economic returns for farmers and the agriculture industry of Western Canada,” said CDC Director Curtis Pozniak. “BASF’s investments in CDC have enabled a range of new crop-breeding innovations, and with today’s announcement, our relationship is set to continue long into the future.”  

The new $100,000 pledge will go toward the building of a new enhanced plant breeding facility at CDC. The facility will drive genetic gain by reducing cycle time and increasing early generation selection. The new pledge adds to BASF’s $125,000 investment in the Pulse Crop Field Lab in 2005 and $200,000 towards the Grain Innovation Lab in 2009. 

“It has been a great privilege to work in partnership with CDC to deliver some of the most innovative developments in agriculture over the last quarter century. This latest investment in CDC facilities will enhance its plant breeding programs as well as the applicability and impact of student research – research that ultimately strengthens the sustainability and long-term profitability of growers and their farm operations across the country,” said Jeff Bertholet, manager of Technical Service for BASF Agricultural Solutions in Canada. 

Canadian farmers supply approximately 40 per cent of the world’s lentils, making pulse crops an important export for Canada. For 25 years, the partnership between BASF and CDC has helped bring new innovations to market and resulted in a system change for Canadian agriculture. 

“Together we solved one of the basic issues facing pulse crops in Canada – weeds,” said Bert Vandenberg, leader of the CDC’s lentil breeding program. “The discovery and commercialization of imidazolinone (IMI) herbicide tolerance in lentils was the tool that not only controlled weeds, it helped expand the industry. This technology made growing lentils a more successful and profitable alternative for farmers and ensured that Canada could contribute to the growing global demand for the crop.”  

Funding from BASF also played a critical role in strengthening CDC wheat-breeding capabilities. Investments in facility enhancement, research fellows, technology and tools, as well as commercialization capacity from BASF, has had a direct impact on CDC’s ability to develop and commercialize multiple new varieties for Canadian growers.  

“The greatest success from our 25-year partnership has been our ability to turn research and development into action,” said CDC wheat breeder Pierre Hucl. “It wasn’t just about improving crop yield. It was about giving producers choice and being able to introduce multiple varieties which enabled a sustainable, healthy crop rotation for farmers.”  

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division: With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2019, our division generated sales of €7.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels. 

About BASF: BASF Canada, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, has over 1,200 employees at production facilities and offices located across Canada. BASF Canada is a subsidiary of BASF SE, and an affiliate of BASF Corporation. 
 
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. 

About the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre: The Crop Development Centre in the USask College of Agriculture and Bioresources is known for research excellence in developing high-performing crop varieties and developing genomic resources and tools to support breeding programs.  Its program is unique in that basic research is fully integrated into applied breeding to improve existing crops, create new uses for traditional crops, and develop new crops. The CDC has developed more than 500 commercialized crop varieties. 

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For more information, contact:

Tabetha Boot
BASF Media Relations
403-461-1253
tabetha.boot@basf.com

Victoria Dinh 
USask Media Relations
306-966-5487
victoria.dinh@usask.ca