SASKATOON – Two new canola plants – one industrial, one vegetative – were introduced to the public this week by Cargill Ltd.
The company officially opened its new canola crushing plant at Clavet, just east of Saskatoon.
At the same time, it unveiled a new variety of canola being distributed by Cargill and called, appropriately, Clavet.
The $53 million crushing facility has been operating for several months, but was officially opened July 30 by Cargill president Kerry Hawkins and Guillaume Bastiaens, president of U.S.-based Cargill Inc.’s food sector.
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A crowd of 2,000 was expected to be on hand for the day’s activities, including local, provincial and federal politicians, farmers and canola buyers.
In remarks prepared for the opening ceremony, Hawkins said the plant will buy 600,000 tonnes of canola seed annually and process it into meal and oil for domestic and export customers.
“That means added economic benefit, not only for farmers but for employees, businesses which serve the plant, for the province and for the country,” he said.
The plant will produce degummed canola oil, which will be shipped by rail to a refinery for export, and canola meal to be used as a livestock feed supplement.
The new canola variety Clavet is designed to offer significant yield advantages for farmers in the mid-season zone, along with a high level of shatter tolerance, blackleg resistance and high oil content.
