Bayer CropScience opened its Beaver Crossing Breeding and Trait Development Station near Lincoln, Nebraska. Research and development activities at the $17 million state-of-the-art facility will serve to help Bayer CropScience deliver breakthrough wheat and soybean varieties with improved technologies and genetics.

"Wheat and soybean crops play an integral role in strengthening Nebraska's agriculture industry and its economy," said Frank Terhorst, Global Head of Seeds for Bayer CropScience LP. "Through Beaver Crossing, we are expressing our commitment to using the latest scientific research and development to support the continued health of these valuable crops. Seeds innovations cultivated here will provide growers with the innovative tools necessary to meet a growing worldwide demand for food, and will provide industry leadership in sustainable crops."

The Beaver Crossing Breeding and Trait Development Station, situated on 400 acres of farmland, is a cornerstone in Bayer's commitment to invest more than $1 billion in wheat research and development over 10 years. According to the firm, the facility brings together approximately 25 of today's brightest minds in agriculture and life sciences to develop wheat and soybean varieties to meet the specific needs of Midwestern growers and others worldwide. The facility, which began construction in September 2013 and was completed in November 2014, includes 53,000 square feet of new office space, research facilities, a greenhouse and an equipment building.

"In everything we do at Bayer CropScience, we seek to leave a better world by improving outcomes for our growers and using 'Science For A Better Life' in all the communities we serve," said Jim Blome, President/CEO of Bayer CropScience LP. "Beaver Crossing will help us achieve this goal through improving wheat and soybean crops, advancing our agricultural thought leadership and helping to develop future generations of agricultural innovators."

Research and development innovations taking place here will focus on parent discovery and hybrid wheat breeding, including research into new wheat varieties to help farmers address key crop challenges, company officials said. Other research focal points include breeding for yield enhancements, drought tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency and enhanced quality wheat. The Beaver Crossing Breeding and Trait Development Station will also host soybean activities serving soybean growers in the region.

The Beaver Crossing Breeding and Trait Development Station is the first new wheat breeding station in these areas, the company said. The Pikeville Breeding and Trait Development Station in Pikeville, North Carolina, opened in March 2015 and focuses on cotton and soybean research and development. Other wheat breeding stations include facilities in Sabin, Minnesota, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

"The investment that Bayer CropScience has made in the Beaver Crossing Breeding and Trait Development Station represents the best of what Nebraska agriculture has to offer," said Governor Pete Ricketts. "We are very fortunate to have such a strong partnership that advances our state's national agricultural leadership, and I look forward to the advancements made here that will change our future for the better both locally and globally.