Source: Monsanto Co.

Company officials marked the grand opening of Monsanto’s Wheat Technology Center in Filer, Idaho, which will serve as the company’s core U.S. wheat breeding R&D facility and bring together stakeholders and processes to drive innovation in wheat breeding.

 “The Wheat Technology Center gathers some of the nation’s top wheat researchers to maximize sharing and collaboration,” says Kristin Schneider, Monsanto’s global wheat breeding lead. “From a breeding perspective, this will help us respond more quickly and efficiently to some of the challenges wheat growers face on their farms.”

Monsanto’s wheat program breeds and commercializes varieties in the major classes of wheat and has a network of hundreds of seed suppliers. In addition to a broad presence with its licensed WestBred Wheat brand in the West, Monsanto also licenses varieties to seed companies in the eastern U.S.

Schneider says increasing breeding efficiency will help bring wheat varieties to market with potential for increased genetic gain.

The Wheat Technology Center expansion includes a facility for wheat seed cleaning, trial preparation and seed storage, as well as two new greenhouse facilities with an additional 14,000 square feet of growing space and enhanced laboratory space.

The expansion added 17 full-time employees and more than 20 contract seasonal positions at the Filer site, making it the company’s second largest in the state. Monsanto has approximately 1,000 full-time employees in Idaho.

Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s executive vice president and chief technology officer, says collaboration throughout the industry will be needed to bring forward new technologies in wheat.

“Monsanto is committed to bringing innovations to wheat farmers, and we strive to do this in a way that helps farmers have better harvests while continuing to use resources like water, nutrients and land more efficiently,” Fraley says.