Maizex Seeds Invests in the Future of Seed Corn Production in Canada

BLENHEIM, ON - Maizex Seeds, the seed division of Sollio Agriculture, announces the groundbreaking of a major $8.8 million investment in a new seed corn processing and packaging plant at their Blenheim, Ontario, facility. Maizex Seeds is a national company producing and selling corn and soybean seeds to farmers from coast to coast in Canada under the Maizex brand. The company also sells forage seeds and cereal varieties to farmers in eastern Canada and recently introduced several canola hybrids. 

"This is a significant investment by Maizex that not only supports the ability of our seed business to meet the needs of farm customers into the future but also represents a commitment to Canadian- grown seed corn for Canadian farmers," notes Casper Kaastra, Chief Executive Officer, Sollio Agriculture. "This investment is an important part of our business strategy. When we initially partnered with Dave and Brenda Baute in Maizex Seeds, the goal was to build a national seed business with the capabilities to offer a best-in-class product line to farmers. Our commitment to being a Canadian company owned by farmers and focused on offering products that are adapted to our unique Canadian environment, continues to drive our growth. This investment supports this strategy while contributing to the region's economic vitality.

State-of-the-art plant

The new facility replaces an existing seed corn processing plant that was purchased in 2019 following the formation of the joint venture between Maizex Seeds and Sollio Agriculture. The new plant will feature state of the art cleaning, sizing and packaging equipment. "Maizex has always used a unique approach to seed corn processing to ensure product quality. This new facility will emulate the single storey flow-through design of our Tilbury facility but with additional automation and capabilities," says Blake Ashton, General Manager, Maizex Seeds. He credits the Tilbury plant design to company founders Dave and Brenda Baute. "They had a vision of how a seed corn plant could be more efficient with a focus on seed quality as the underlying criteria to the plant design."

High-quality seeds for Canadian farmers

Maizex Seeds produces seed corn hybrids in the Chatham-Kent and surrounding region of Ontario. This area is unique in the world given a long frost-free growing season and consistent moisture patterns driven by a location between the Great Lakes. This environment provides the ability to produce high-quality seed corn hybrids for all Canadian farmers in every maturity range and regional specifics across the country. "We are truly fortunate to grow seed corn in one of the best seed corn production areas in the world. This investment confirms our savoir-faire and expertise, and our desire to support our customers, the profitability of their farms, and our commercial growth for the future."

The Canadian seed corn market continues to be driven by strong demand and is an important industry, supported across Canada. Ashton notes the company has been increasing sales across the country given a strong product line in all maturities. "In addition to providing economic benefits to the local community as well as a value-added crop for area farmers through seed corn production, we continually invest through hiring and training our team of dedicated seed professionals that work and live here in Chatham-Kent."