Left to Right: Maximillian Becker, CCO and AP Management Board Member BASF Agricultural Solutions, Leta LaRush, Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada, Paul Rea, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions North America, Brett Collins, Head of Seeds and Traits for BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada. Photo courtesy of Neil Billinger -Jeff Mansiere, Canola Breeding Manager, BASF Agrcultural Solutions Canada (Image Credit: (supplied photo/Jeff Mansiere, Canola Breeding Manager, BASF Agrcultural Solutions Canada)

By Pattison Media

BASF breaks ground on Saskatoon expansion

May 7, 2026 | 4:01 PM

BASF Agricultural Solutions has started the $27 million expansion of its canola breeding centre near Saskatoon, a project the company said will strengthen the region’s role as a global hub for canola research.

The expansion of the Canola Breeding Center of Innovation, located northeast of the city off Highway 41, was first announced earlier this year. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Wednesday.

Brent Collins, head of seeds and traits for BASF Agricultural Solutions, said the investment reflects confidence in Canada’s agriculture sector and its importance to the company’s global operations.

“BASF has taken a decision that investment into Canadian agriculture is the best place that we can be investing our money,” Collins said. “We’re now turning the first shovels and anticipate being in the facility by the end of 2027.”

The expanded facility will include additional laboratory and greenhouse space to support plant breeding and genetic research, as well as new technologies aimed at improving crop development.

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“It’s going to be a lab space for enhancing all of the activities that our breeding and genetics team do, as well as additional glasshouse space,” Collins said. “It’s more bench space, but also the inclusion of new techniques for breeding and genomic selection.”

The Saskatoon centre plays a key role in BASF’s global canola operations, supporting markets in the United States, Australia and beyond.

“Our canola business in other global markets really relies on the work being done here in Canada,” Collins said. “This centre is becoming the global hub for many of those activities.”

The expansion comes as BASF marks a milestone for its InVigor canola brand, which will celebrate 30 years in Canada this fall.

Collins said InVigor varieties are widely used across Western Canada, where between 22 and 23 million acres of canola are grown annually.

“When you look out across those yellow fields in July, about three out of every five are InVigor hybrid canola,” he said.

Advances over the past three decades have included herbicide tolerance, hybridization and traits such as pod shatter resistance, with future work focused on improving yields and disease resistance.

About 60 people are currently employed at the Saskatoon facility, with staffing expected to grow as the expansion is completed.

Collins said developing new canola hybrids can take a decade or more, underscoring the long-term nature of the investment.

“This is really the hub for breeding and genomic selection for us,” he said. “It’s a great day for Canadian farmers to know that BASF has selected Canada and canola for further investment.”

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

by Pattison Media

BASF breaks ground on Saskatoon expansion

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