Long rooted locally

Monselice in Italy has been a place of great symbolic importance for Alvaro Rodriguez all his professional life: “For 20 years, I was in charge of one of the smallest KWS’breeding stations in Chillan in my home country of Chile. 12 years ago, I was given the opportunity to move from the smallest to the largest station, one which also has a very good reputation,” says the station manager.

In the Padua region in northeast Italy, KWS has cooperated with local farmers since the 1950s to grow sugarbeet and corn for breeding. “In 1976/1977, a decision was made to look for a suitable location for our own station.”

The area of Monselice was perfect for a number of reasons. “The small town is located directly on the main road and railroad line connecting the north and south of italy so it’s very well placed from a logistical point of view.” Then there are the climatic conditions: “In winter, we have ideal temperatures for the vernalization of the sugarbeet plants; It is also pleasantly warm during the spring and summer, giving ideal conditions for the development of the corn and all the other crops we grow. The precipitation is also favorable, falling pretty evenly throughout the year. If there is a longer dry spell, there is enough water “because all the rivers from the Alps cross our region.” That is also beneficial for our other crops.

Decades of collaboration

The Monselice station benefits from its good contacts with local agriculture – small farmers who traditionally own only around 10 to 20 hectares of land are the ideal partner for conducting research activities. This is because the station, with its warehouses, drying plants, processing facilities, cold storage rooms, offices and a greenhouse, does not have any farmland of its own. “As part of our activities, we cooperate with around 500 farmers from the region, who provide us with a total of 800 hectares of land per year. We’ve been working with most of these people for decades – so they have a strong bond with KWS.”

And last but not least, we have the human factor, the experience of the colleagues, most of them coming from farming families and having a solid education from the universities and farming schools located in the region.

Under these conditions, the station in Monselice specialized in the production of seed that is meant for the breeding of sugarbeet and corn, as well as rye, sorghum, sunflowers and oilseed rape. “In Monselice, we produce at least half of the total seed used for sugarbeet breeding in the KWS Group,” says Alvaro with pride. Regarding corn we are one of the main locations for the production of basic seed and the breeders located at the station select the best hybrids for all the Mediterranean area.

The peak period for Alvaro and his team starts in January (for sugarbeet) and ends in October (for corn), “while oilseed rape and rye keep us busy in the winter.” There is time to take a breather in November and December, but otherwise there is always something to be done.

Alvaro still enjoys working at KWS after 32 years – and loves his new home: “The Italian way of life is very similar to that in Chile. And for me, Monselice is simply the most beautiful place to work.” |