Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
November 7, 2011
Richardson International and Canterra Seeds have partnered to introduce AC™ Enterprise, a new Canadian Western Amber Durum variety, to Canadian growers and international end-use customers.
Developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Swift Current breeding program and marketed by Canterra Seeds, AC™ Enterprise demonstrates a strong yield advantage over the current durum market leader with similar maturity and improved disease resistance.
"AC™ Enterprise is the next great durum variety, with a strong agronomic package and an excellent quality profile," says Brent Derkatch, Director, Operations and Business Development for Canterra Seeds. "We are excited to have Richardson as our exclusive market development partner working to derive increased value and market uptake for the variety."
Richardson, which handles over 500,000 metric tonnes of durum annually, will promote AC™ Enterprise to end-users combining its international marketing experience and relationships with millers and pasta makers around the world. During market development, Richardson plans to contract 50,000 acres of AC™ Enterprise in 2012, growing the program in 2013 and 2014.
"We have already seen strong interest from customers in testing AC™ Enterprise in their milling and pasta processes," says Peter Entz, Richardson's Assistant Vice-President of Seed and Traits. "Our market development program for AC™ Enterprise will create more opportunities for Canadian farmers and bring them closer to working with end-use customers for their grain."
Richardson has been working with the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI) to conduct quality evaluation trials of AC™ Enterprise to demonstrate the quality attributes of the product to end-users. A low cadmium variety with similar grain protein, gluten index and semolina yield to the leading durum variety, AC™ Enterprise has also demonstrated good semolina colour, a desirable trait for pasta makers. With the first round of trials now complete, Richardson is expanding the testing with CIGI to better understand the variety's fit in the international market.
Richardson International is Canada's largest, privately owned agribusiness and has served farmers across the country for more than 150 years. Based in Winnipeg, Richardson has over 1,600 employees across Canada and is a worldwide handler and merchandiser of all major Canadian-grown grains and oilseeds. Richardson is one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies and is recognized as a global leader in agriculture and food processing.
Owned by over 200 western Canadian shareholders, Canterra Seeds is committed to sourcing genetically superior seed products that meet end-user needs, while delivering agronomic and economic benefits for producers. With a versatile portfolio of cereals, pulses and oilseeds, Canterra Seeds seeks opportunities that allow for mutual success in the agriculture industry.
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