b'PARTNER CONTENTFOR ONE COMPANY, LOCAL RESEARCH ONLY ENHANCES THE VALUE OF INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISEIN THE AGE of climate change and shifting market prefer-ences, its crucial for an international company to have a strong local research base in order to see success.Thats according to Alexandre Beaudoin, vice-president sales and marketing for Prograin.Even though we operate around the world, we have to have high-performance varieties that meet 100% of a growers needs. As weve increased our customer base on the Prairies, we set up our own research sites in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Beaudoin says. With a team of experts led by Western Canadian Research Coordinator Britney Gilson, Prograin staff work in the field to select and observe the seeds directly where, ultimately, their market will be.Research and innovation are core values at Prograin, Gilson says. Over the years, this commitment to constant progress enabled the company to build its expertise in the soybeans of Eastern Canada, developing its own propri-etary seed varieties in Qubec and Ontario.Now, to better meet the specific needs of growers in Western Canada, Prograin is investing its know-how in research and development of varieties that are specificallyBritney Gilson is Western Canadian research coordinator for Prograin.bred and developed for the climate of the Prairies.We dont just take varieties we think will grow wellThe result is soybean varieties for a number of uses on the Prairies and market them. What were doing istailored to specific areas.selecting cultivars that we have actually grown here thatEarlier maturities do well in the Interlake region of we know will perform for growers in different areas ofManitoba, for example. The soil there is very clay-based the region, says Gilson. and it holds water. The earlier maturing the variety is, Gilson oversees the companys four Prairie research sitesthe better. In the Oakville region of Manitoba, you typi- two in Manitoba (located in Oakville and Morden, spe- cally get a couple more growing days, which means later cifically) and two in Saskatchewan (in Marquis and Melfort). maturing varieties are often more appropriate there, she Her mission: to take the best lines coming out ofsays.Prograins research sites in the East and put them to theAs soybeans see a revival on the Prairies as a specialty test on the Prairies. crop, growers need access to a wide selection of varieties The process is a long one, she explains. tailored to their region and their own needs as farmers.I get the crosses from Prograin in Qubec and I takePrograin works to provide this through a number of those, and they go into our Prairie nurseries. We harvest theGM and conventional soybean varieties. Its staff work ones we likeearly maturity is something we really focuswith customers to advise them on the choice of cultivars onand they then go into our populations, she says. that will be most profitable to them. Prograin also offers But thats not nearly the end. local drop-off points for their customers conventional What comes out of our populations is where thingssoybean harvests.really get serious with regard to what customers look for.People are eating more pulses as part of a plant-based How many pods? Growers want to know if the crops willdiet and our food grade soybean program is a huge part lodge or what the plant growth type will be. All of that isof that, Gilson adds.important. For more info visit prograin.ca. JANUARY 2021 GERMINATION.CA 33'