Corteva Agriscience announces completion of $50+ million capital investment in Lethbridge seed production facility

Corteva Agriscience has announced the completion of a four-year, more than $50 million capital expansion of its Lethbridge, Alberta, production facility, highlighting the seed and crop production leader’s commitment to bringing its latest canola seed technologies to Canadian growers. The project’s completion comes as the site celebrates its 15th anniversary of operating in the Lethbridge community.

The facility is Corteva’s primary canola seed production site in North America and is the main distribution centre for its Pioneer^® brand and Brevant^® seeds products in Western Canada. The site employs more than 100 staff, from Lethbridge and surrounding areas, who use best-in-class breeding and production processes to ensure the highest-quality seed for growers. In addition, Corteva works in partnership with farmers in the Lethbridge area who grow crops for the company’s seed production program.

″This infrastructure investment illustrates the importance of the Lethbridge production facility – and community – in helping Corteva deliver advanced canola seed technologies to growers,″ said Matt Kurtz, North America Seed Production and Supply Chain Director, Corteva Agriscience. ″The facility has been a pillar of our operations in North America for the past 15 years, and this investment will help ensure that it will continue to contribute to the Lethbridge community and to Corteva’s growth moving forward.″

The Lethbridge site produces some of Corteva’s newest canola seed offerings, including Optimum^® GLY canola – a new, advanced herbicide-tolerant trait technology for farmers.

″It’s been very encouraging to see the growth and expansion of the Lethbridge facility, which is now more than quadruple the size it was 10 years ago,″ said Rick Bannerman, Production Location Manager, Corteva Agriscience. ″As canola growers in Western Canada strive to increase productivity, our expanded warehouse capacity and other facility improvements will help us provide growers with seed and trait technologies to help them meet global demand for food and energy.″

In addition to site operations, the facility and staff are heavily invested in the community. So far in 2023, employees at the site have donated 4,600 pounds of food to local food banks, volunteered with local organizations, donated 90 units of plasma to Canadian Blood Services through their Partners for Life Team, and contributed to the United Way of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta.