Syngenta breaks ground for major expansion at its Clinton research
and development facility
Clinton to
be largest Syngenta corn and soybean test site in North America
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[December 13, 2012]
MINNETONKA,
Minn. -- Syngenta broke ground Tuesday for the expansion of
its Clinton, Ill., corn and soybean research and development
facility. Construction is expected to be complete in mid-2013. Upon
completion, Clinton will be Syngenta's largest corn and soybean
trialing site in North America.
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Syngenta employees were joined at the groundbreaking by DeWitt
County and local government officials and civic and agricultural
leaders. Ramtin Ahmadi, North America R&D business practice
and megasites lead for Syngenta, said the enhanced research and
development capability coming to Clinton demonstrates Syngenta's
commitment to R&D innovation and global leadership in corn and
soybean breeding.
"The promise of agricultural technology is delivering in
unprecedented ways," Ahmadi said. "We are reaching a new level
of performance now, and the long-term future -- for farmers,
consumers and our environment -- is very bright. Initiatives
like this will enable us to optimize our $1.4 billion annual
investment in global research and development."
The 700-acre Clinton site supports 144,000 soybean and
235,000 corn trials annually and houses soybean growth rooms for
North America. The location includes 90 acres of nursery for
corn and 60 acres of nursery for soybeans. The expanded Clinton
facility will enable Syngenta to bring innovations to market
more quickly and help corn and soybean farmers grow more from
less.
The Clinton expansion includes:
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Tripling in
size of the soybean growth rooms -- which will enable the
turn of as many as four crops a year.
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An increase in
the existing site capacity.
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Construction of grain and seed cold
storage and a new equipment maintenance shop and machinery
storage building.
Jerry Johnson, head
of Syngenta's Heartland East Commercial Unit, said the Clinton
expansion is aligned with Syngenta's commitment to thinking like
a grower, targeting individual farming challenges and taking a
more holistic approach to developing and delivering integrated
crop solutions.
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"Our goal is to provide solutions to help farmers achieve at least a
70 percent increase in food production by 2050," Johnson said.
"Research and development conducted here will help us develop
integrated solutions for our customers by combining our expertise in
bioscience, chemistry, crop genetics and agronomy. Thinking like a
grower and developing integrated solutions will better enable us to
help farmers feed a growing world."
According to Syngenta site manager Nelson Thorp, the Clinton
facility has a rich history of serving the seed industry, dating
back to 1936, when his family started a seed business on their farm
at that location.
"Syngenta is proud to be expanding its presence in Clinton and
building on its legacy here," Thorp said. "This represents more than
a $12 million investment in the local economy and reinforces our
continuing commitment to corn and soybean research and development
right here in the heart of the Corn Belt."
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Syngenta has more than 26,000 employees in more than 90
countries. The company's purpose is to bring plant potential to
life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to
its customers, the company helps to increase crop productivity,
protect the environment, and improve health and quality of life. For
more information, visit
www.syngenta.com.
[Text from file received from
Syngenta]
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