Monsanto To Open New Soybean Facility
April 1, 2010 One day after the USDA announced a record-breaking year for expected U.S. soybean acreage, Monsanto Co. welcomed guests to the future home of the company’s Asgrow soybean seed production facility in West Fargo, ND, to celebrate the groundbreaking for a multi-million dollar facility expansion.
The site had previously been a sunflower seed production facility. With the sale of Monsanto’s sunflower business to Syngenta in August 2009, the site is now being converted and expanded to support Monsanto’s growing soybean business.
“We’ve worked hard to create the kind of business climate in North Dakota that would attract new companies, including value-added agricultural operations,” says North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven. “Today, we welcome Monsanto’s Asgrow seeds. As the largest soybean producing county in America, Cass is the right fit for Monsanto and the right fit for North Dakota.”
Gov. Hoeven; North Dakota Sen. and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tim Flakoll; and West Fargo mayor Rich Mattern participated in the ground-breaking festivities alongside Monsanto officials.
“This site expansion is a critical part of our strategic direction as a seeds-and-traits business, but the real winners here are farmers, the community and the state of North Dakota,” said Mark Martino, Monsanto’s vice-president of seeds and traits manufacturing. “It’s an investment that enables farmers to have more choices of Asgrow Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean seeds. In addition, it will mean millions of dollars in capital upgrades at the site and new jobs for the community.”
The expansion is expected to provide dozens of construction jobs, and once complete, will mean an additional 20 full-time and temporary employees at the location. The expansion is expected to be complete in December 2010.
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