AgroPages-Maizex Seeds expands seed corn production with purchase of Blenheim facility-Agricultural news

Maizex Seeds has announced it is expanding seed corn production for Canada through the purchase of the former Dow AgroSciences seed corn facility located at Blenheim, Ont.

Maizex currently produces and processes seed corn in its facility located near Tilbury, Ont.

This expansion follows a recently announced joint venture with Sollio Agriculture, the rebranded agriculture division of La Coop Fédérée.

Dave Baute, president and CEO of Maizex Seeds says the purchase of the Blenheim seed corn plant will allow the company to more than double its current corn production. He adds Maizex will be further investing in the Blenheim location to modernize the plant and equipment to meet anticipated demand.

The Blenheim facility is located in Chatham-Kent in Southwestern Ontario, which is the primary region for seed corn production in Canada. The area features a frost-free period for seed corn production that rivals the Midwest United States, with temperatures and precipitation moderated by the surrounding Great Lakes. “It is one of the only seed corn production areas in the world where you can grow seed corn for maturities ranging from 68 to 115 days. This represents our customer base across the country,” says Baute.

Through the joint venture agreement between Maizex Seeds and Sollio Agriculture, Maizex is now responsible for the seed corn and seed soybean sales of both companies with seed corn sold under the Maizex Seeds brand and soybeans under the Elite seeds brand.

Maizex is currently contracting with seed corn growers to support processing through both its Tilbury and now Blenheim plants for the 2019 growing season.