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Maizex Seeds and BrettYoung announce partnership

Maizex Seeds Inc., a corn and soybean seed business based in Ontario, and BrettYoung Seeds Limited, a Winnipeg-based agribusiness, partner to expand corn and soybean production in Western Canada.

Under the new agreement, all Maizex and Elite soybean varieties will be consolidated and marketed under the Elite brand. BrettYoung will become the exclusive distributor for the Elite soybean brand in Western Canada starting in the 2020 production year.

Maizex Seeds is also committing to additional variety research, testing and soybean support agronomy, with a focus on the needs of farmers across Western Canada as soybean production expands. “We see a tremendous long-term future for soybean production in Western Canada,” notes Stephen Denys, director of business management with Maizex Seeds.

In addition, Maizex Seeds will now be responsible for marketing seed corn. For the 2019 growing season, BrettYoung will continue to support existing Elite corn sales, but for the 2020 growing season both Maizex and Elite corn brands will be consolidated under the Maizex brand. In 2020, Maizex will assume the responsibility for the distribution of the consolidated corn business in Western Canada. Just like with soybeans, Maizex will be investing in additional agronomy and sales support for Western Canadian corn growers. “Like our direction in soybeans, our approach in corn will focus on the needs of farmers in unique production areas across the Prairies,” Denys adds.

The partnership with BrettYoung comes amid a recent announcement that Maixez Seeds purchased the former Dow AgroSciences seed corn facility in southwestern Ontario to expand its seed corn production in Canada. The purchase of an additional seed corn plant would allow the company to “more than double current capacity,” according to Dave Baute, president of Maizex Seeds.

Last year, Maizex Seeds entered into a joint venture partnership with La Coop fédérée – now Sollio Agriculture – which produces and markets seed for corn, soybeans, cereals and forages under the Elite brand. Now Maizex’s soybean varieties will be consolidated with the Elite brand and BrettYoung will become the exclusive distributor for the Elite soybean brand in Western Canada.

Both Sollio Agriculture and Maizex Seeds are heavily established in Eastern Canada and the partnership announcement with BrettYoung shows that these businesses have set their sights out west.