The official opening of Bayer Crop Science’s new wheat breeding station in Pike Lake, Sask., took place on June 10 and is representative of a $24 million investment by Bayer into Canadian wheat breeding and a larger 10-year investment of $1.9 billion into global wheat breeding technologies.
“The opening of this facility represents a monumental investment into the research and development of new and innovative hybrid wheat technologies designed specifically to help Canadian growers overcome some of their biggest cropping challenges, so they can successfully compete in the global grains market,” says Marcus Weidler, Bayer’s head of seeds — Canada.
The cutting-edge facility will bring together multiple aspects of wheat breeding into one centralized location and will include an analytical lab, pathology research space and quality laboratory with an accompanying 2,550 square feet of environmentally controlled, off-site greenhouse space. Additionally, the station includes an incredible 480 acres of Field Breeding and Trial Evaluation, along with Bayer’s Crop Protection Research and Product Excellence Trials.
“This is a very exciting time for Bayer both globally and within Canada. We have always enjoyed an exceptional reputation as a leader in the agricultural industry and we are now at the forefront of wheat hybrid research and development,” adds Weidler.
The Bayer Wheat Breeding Station will focus on the creation of new Canadian Prairie Spring and Canadian Western Red Spring wheat hybrids that will be commercially available to Canadian growers within the next six to eight years.
