Agri-Innovation Program - La Coop fédérée research project on conventional soybeans awarded grant

ST-HYACINTHE, QC, Sept. 10, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - At a press conference organized today by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Lemieux announced financial support of $182,558 for La Coop fédérée as part of the AgriInnovation program for a project on Introgression of desirable food quality traits in early widely adapted soybean.

"La Coop fédérée welcomes this positive news and gratefully acknowledges that Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada has chosen to support our research project for a period of four years," explained the chief executive officer for La Coop fédérée, Gaétan Desroches.

La Coop fédérée's project not only received a generous boost but also will see its chances of success increased significantly thanks to the expertise of the department and access to its gene pool that it has already developed.

"International consumers, principally in Asia, have very specific expectations with regard to soybeans for human consumption. In our desire to respond to the needs of this market, in collaboration with Elite Grains, we want to invest in research to improve the gene pool for our conventional soybeans," said Alexandre Mailloux, research director for La Coop fédérée.

"We must continually adapt in order to respond to the needs of export markets. We have confidence that with the financial support coming from the AgiInnovation program we will be able to remain competitive in this market and, over time, contribute to the viability of the sector," he added.

La Coop fédérée's project started in the fall of 2012 thanks to the support of the Elite Grains and will be carried out for a total of seven years.  

About La Coop Research Farm

The crop production research farm in St-Hyacinthe is amongst the largest agribusiness private research organizations in Canada. With more than 100 hectares under cultivation, and a team of over 20 researchers and technicians, La Coop has developed and tested new genetics in order to provide its members with a range of the most productive Elite seeds.

About La Coop fédérée

Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is the largest agri-food enterprise in Québec. It is owned by over 100,000 members grouped into 97 cooperatives located in several Canadian provinces and is present throughout the agri-food chain. As well as being a wholesaler, it also provides agricultural producers with all the goods and services they require for their farming operations. The network has five brands: Elite and La Coop (animal and crop production, grain marketing), Unimat (hardware and farm machinery), Sonic (energy) and Olymel (meat processing). La Coop fédérée employs nearly 10,000 people with sales reaching $5.2 billion. Including its affiliated cooperatives, La Coop fédérée employs almost 16,000 people with sales of $8.3 billion. For more information, visit www.lacoop.coop and twitter.com/LaCoop_federee.

SOURCE: La Coop fédérée

Marie-Hélène Cliche, Director of Communications, La Coop fédérée, 514-347-5939, [email protected]