The shovels went into the ground on Wednesday morning marking the start of an expansion at the BASF Agricultural Solutions Canola Breeding Centre of Innovation.

The expansion will provide more tools for plant breeders and other scientists involved in developing the next generation of InVigor canola hybrids.

Brent Collins is the Head of Seeds and Traits for BASF Agricultural Solutions.

Paul Rea is the senior vice present of BASF Agricultural Solutions North America. He says the lab enhancements are critical to implementing genomic selection at scale, enabling faster and more precise breeding decisions and accelerating gains across all of the InVigor hybrid canola programs.

Maximillian Becker is a member of the Management Board at BASF Agricultural Solutions

A significant portion of BASF revenue is reinvested in research.

About 60 people work at the Canola Breeding Centre of Innovation northeast of Saskatoon. The expansion is expected to be complete by the end of next year.

A longer interview with Brent Collins and CJWW Agriculture Director Neil Billinger is below.

Left to Right: Maximillian Becker, CCO and AP Management Board Member BASF Agricultural Solutions, Leta LaRush, Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada, Paul Rea, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions North America, Brett Collins, Head of Seeds and Traits for BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada. Photo courtesy of Neil Billinger -Jeff Mansiere, Canola Breeding Manager, BASF Agrcultural Solutions Canada