BASF Agriculture Center in Limburgerhof celebrates its 100th anniversary

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 16, 2014 – BASF’s Crop Protection division is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Agriculture Center in Limburgerhof, Germany, this year. Established in 1914 as an agriculture research station, it has grown into the global center for BASF’s crop protection business. Today, the division is one of the leading research-driven providers of a broad range of agricultural solutions.

“The Agriculture Center is where numerous products and solutions have been developed to help growers all over the world protect and improve their crops,” said Ron Kehler, Business Director for Crop Protection for BASF in Canada . “It is because of this long history that we can bring growers in Canada the latest technology in crop protection.”

Continuous investments in research and development as well as close cooperation with customers are BASF’s keys to success. Anticipating the crop production challenges of the future and continuing to provide innovative solutions to growers for their daily needs are at the core of the division’s purpose. BASF is committed to providing growers with new fungicides and herbicides to ensure stewardship of the land. In the last five years alone, BASF has developed 30 new products with eight new active ingredients to bring growers crop production products with multiple modes of action and plant health benefits.

“The Agriculture Center, our products, our programs, and our people are a reflection of our dedication to the long-term success of Canadian agriculture said Kehler.”

Historical overview

Carl Bosch, who later became CEO of BASF and I.G. Farben, founded the agriculture research station in Limburgerhof in 1914. Just one year prior, BASF had succeeded in implementing a large-scale process for the synthesis of ammonia, which formed the basis for the industrial production of fertilizers. Five employees began the first field trials in the spring of 1914, thereby laying the foundation for BASF’s work in the field of agriculture chemistry.

Over the years, BASF has developed several breakthroughs in plant health technology. Products like NITROPHOSKA®, which was a milestone upon its patent registration in 1926, met farmers’ demands for an affordable and easy-to-use fertilizer. POLYRAM®, released in 1956, allowed BASF to break into the fungicide market. Starting in the mid-1960s, BASF established a North American research station located in North Carolina.

Within the past decade, BASF has developed breakthroughs in multiple portfolios. The development of the active ingredient F500 in 2002 and XEMIUM® in 2011 revolutionized the way growers across Canada and the world protect their crops. With the acquisition of Becker Underwood in 2012, BASF became one of the world’s leading providers of technologies and products for biological seed treatment and crop protection.

The Agriculture Center in Limburgerhof has been instrumental in bringing Canadian growers the best crop protection technologies and BASF will continue to invest in the latest research for the best products to create a sustainable future of farming in Canada and around the globe through new herbicides and fungicides with multiple modes of action to combat resistance.

Detailed information about the 100-year history can be found at:
www.100-years-agricultural-centre-limburgerhof.basf.com

Always read and follow label directions.

NITROPHOSKA, POLYRAM, and XEMIUM are registered trade-marks of BASF SE; all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc.

© 2014 BASF Canada Inc.

BASF – The Chemical Company

BASF Canada, located in Mississauga, Ontario is a subsidiary of BASF SE, and an affiliate of BASF Corporation. BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.3 billion in 2013. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us . To find out more about BASF’s activities in Canada visit www.basf.ca or follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/basfcanada .

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com .

SOURCE: BASF