Discover the wealth of professions and career paths at Limagrain

Andrey 
Manager
Limagrain Russia
Krasnodar (Russia)

« Limagrain Russia was founded two years ago and has grown rapidly. Our team is already in place pursuing the development of our products on the sunflower and corn markets. For our staff of 11, the objectives are to convince new distributors of the advantages of our products and to conduct trials on location to evaluate the best varieties for the Russian market. Limagrain Russia brings high quality
products to the market which are more tolerant to diseases or drought than our competitors. Especially for sunflower, because resistance to broomrape and the Clearfield technology are key points for our success. We intend to pursue this growth through the registration of new varieties, but also by broadening the product range with varieties of wheat, barley, pea, flax and oilseed rape. »

Anne 
Grain Operations Manager
Limagrain Agro-Productions
Ennezat (France)

« The main event of the year was the first combined 2010 harvest after the Limagrain/Domagri merger. Since they had been prepared separately, the upstream stages differed for the two structures and the volumes were very different too: 30,000 tons for the first and 110,000 for the second. Because of its complex organization, management of the harvest was delicate and there were several cases of dissatisfaction expressed. A partial knowledge of the teams and available installations was a handicap, but we were at least able to observe what was not working properly and set up a corrective plan. The change to the storage plan led to an optimization of the plant, while the improved delivery flow, the allocation of varieties in silos and the creation of joint teams from the two structures enabled us to harvest in much better conditions in 2011. »

Tom 
Senior Horticultural Manager
Suttons
Paignton (United Kingdom)

« The concept of grafted plants and the use of rootstocks is not new, but was further developed for commercial growers in the 90's to prevent pests and diseases located in the soil. Our partnership with a top UK plant raiser enabled us to take advantage of new developments to make grafted plants available to the hobby gardener. They have increased vigour, up to 50% more crop, are earlier and will crop longer and will grow at lower temperatures. We offer plants of tomato, aubergine, pepper, cucumber and squash both mail order and now through garden centres. We continue to innovate with new products such as two different tomato varieties grafted on the same rootstock. Our close relationship with the Group's companies has now given us access to the best varieties and growing techniques to benefit the home gardener. »

Rinus 
Head of greenhouses and research fields
Nickerson-Zwaan
Made (Netherlands)

« As most growers did in the Netherlands, we improved the efficiency of our greenhouses in different environmental matters such as water use and energy consumption. The use of screens in cold conditions, at night under 10° C, enables us to save energy by 15 to 20%. This also works for cooling (sun protection) in hot periods. Furthermore, our system recycles irrigation water so that we use 100 % of the water distributed. Rainfall water is also collected and used during drought periods. The use of rock wool substrate located 50 cm above the ground has a positive effect on plants by allowing better air circulation and reducing risks of diseases, but also improves the working conditions for our staff. For breeding high performing plants, it was necessary to create state-of-the-art conditions at the same level as high-technological Dutch growers. »

Léon 
Maize breeding Co-ordinator for Southern Europe and Interprofessional Co-ordinator for Benelux
Limagrain Europe 
Rilland (Netherlands)

« Creating new varieties means combining all the resources of genetic variability with each other. In Europe, this is guaranteed by the Proprietary Variety Protection Certificate which recognizes the breeder's exemption, in other words their freedom to use existing varieties to create new ones. This vision is contrary to that of patents. The current introduction of biotechnologies, often patented, in breeding, is liable to slow down progress in the field of conventional breeding. This subject is highly topical, both with professional operators and with political bodies, in order to find the best possible compromise. Limagrain, just like the main European interprofessional bodies, is pleading for conventional breeding to be excluded from the scope of patents, and for the restriction of the patentability of certain innovations. This goes in the same direction as a decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office, in December 2010, in the so-called “broccoli/tomato” case. »

Fred  
Corporate Product Manager
AgReliant Genetics
Westfield (Indiana – United States)

« Since 1996, farmers across North America who have planted corn with a GMO insect trait have been required to provide a structured 20% refuge within their fields to preserve Bt technology and to avoid insect resistance. Farmers have planted non-Bt hybrid for the refuge and the Bt hybrid, to be compliant with government regulations. In Spring 2011, AgReliant Genetics launched the newest concept for refuge requirements know as “Refuge In The Bag” which is shortened to “R-I-B.” Through this sophisticated technology, AgReliant now offers farmers the opportunity to reduce the refuge from 20% to 5% in one bag instead of two. This innovation is available to AgReliant Genetics customers in our high-performing genetics along with the convenience offered with this new technology. »

Marian 
Research Project Manager
Vilmorin Inc 
Hollister (California - United-States)

« The Californian carrots market requires the Imperator type, for both baby and cello segments. Even if Vilmorin is worldfamous for different carrot types, to target this market we had to innovate on the horticultural traits of this Imperator type, such as color – dark orange, size, flavor or resistance to foliar diseases. For such a special high-valued market we needed to dedicate a special program targeting the fulfillment of these requirements. We experienced the same situation with the iceberg lettuce for the Salinas valley market or with the radicchio Chioggia type. We are driven towards innovation for improving the qualities of our varieties but also for proposing designed products to each customer, taking into account the expectation of simplifying the global process of production and marketing. »

Certifi cation: an essential approach to meet consumer demands

“In terms of food products, the consumer is not prepared to accept any half measures. Industrialists have to adapt and propose prevention systems to avoid any defect. British Retail Consortium (BRC) is a world scale standard on food safety. It is particularly vigilant about the means adopted to insure this safety. BRC certifi cation, which was granted to the Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients corn mill for its very fi rst year, at the highest grade (Grade A), goes a step further than ISO 9001 certifi cation. The latter, which we fi rst obtained in 2003, is more concerned with the company's effi ciency in terms of organization, and more focused on customer satisfaction. In spite of its optional character, it has become vital if you want to work with the major world agri-food groups. It is proof of our commitment to our customers and the services rendered by our teams as they search to improve quality.”

Extending Jacquet's product range

“The activity of Crêperie Lebreton is a fi ne complement to that of Milcamps in Belgium, enabling Jacquet to diversify by creating a “Gourmand” cluster, associating pancakes with waffl es. Our company, which is specialized in the production of plain pancakes, either fi lled or blistered, and of the extra-fine “crêpe dentelle” type, manages supplies to several major well-known distribution companies. Now we have joined Jacquet we can benefi t from its support in marketing, sales and research/development. We also benefi t from its capacity to invest, both in modernizing our site, and in creating our own products. It's a very gratifying idea for all our team to imagine Jacquet branded pancakes coming out of our research in the near future; true recognition of our know-how.”

Introducing Vilmorin to the home gardener throughout Eastern Europe

“The extension of the European Union to Eastern Europe as of 2004 was a wonderful opportunity for Oxadis to expand. I started in 2006 with a Romanian customer, and today I manage our presence in eleven countries (apart from Poland). The fragmentation of this area into “little” countries means we have to seek the right balance between standardization and adaptation. We have developed “international” seed packets, bulbs and amenity grass seeds, and ship them from France through Oxadis or from Poland through CNOS Garden. Being able to ship throughout this zone is also a competitive advantage to meet the needs of distributors, which are harmonizing their practices in this region too. Our presence meets two objectives for Oxadis: to increase its sales and to gain international brand awareness for Vilmorin in the garden products market.”

Keeping close to farmers to launch our products successfully

“Japanese farms are very small and show huge diversity in growing conditions. In order to launch new products, a good relationship with farmers is essential. Our ability to accompany them and train them with different crops is very much appreciated and helps to develop our sales. Furthermore, setting up trial networks and adopting an aggressive approach to the fresh vegetables market have both helped to achieve success in a number of cases for Mikado Kyowa Seed. They helped to launch “Rupia Red” – a melon variety – on the island of Hokkaido, which has remained market leader for more than fi fteen years, with a market share of almost 50% still today. These ingredients also contributed to the success
of the “Homare” range of Daikon radish. And we hope that the same will be true for two promising tomatoes about to be launched: Kosuzu (cherry tomato) and Misora 64 (large pink fruit).”

Building up the HM-Clause Business Unit taking the best practices from each entity

“Building up the HM-Clause BU is a unique experience. I bring my experience gained in American companies in the Group to the Human Resources department in France. Understanding the viewpoints on both side of the Atlantic is a major advantage in such a project. We have encouraged meetings between employees of Harris Moran and Clause, since face-to-face meetings are essential for the collaboration we wish to promote in this global approach. The objective of my work is to harmonize compensation and benefi ts in the fourteen subsidiaries of the BU. The fact that I am living in France is a real advantage to start up the project with the American and French companies. The project is moving forward fast, guided by the best practices in each country, and respectful of their differences.”

“Limagrain inside” for 80% of Czech beer

“Czech beer benefi ts from a European Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). In order to meet the criteria for this distinction, brewers are not allowed to use just any barley variety. They must respect a list of eight authorized varieties. Among these, fi ve have been bred by Limagrain Central Europe Cereals, which thus gives us a market share of 80%. This exceptional position is the result of decisions taken fi fteen years ago, when close collaboration between our breeders, sales teams and brewers was set up. The aim was to listen to the requirements of these industrialists and to breed tailor-made varieties for this specifi c production. We are now harvesting the results of this long-term process, which could last a while, as varieties on the recommended list tend to stay there for 5 to 7 years.”

Bringing research from the Ukrainian and Russian markets together

“With nearly six million hectares of corn, mostly grain, Ukraine and Russia form a very important market, alongside the European market. The opening of our station for the spring sowing campaign in 2010 was an essential step in completing the network of Limagrain Europe breeding stations. Our top objective is to use our germplasm to select the material that is best suited to our needs for these new markets. We are above all relying on programs run in France and Hungary. With this germplasm, and what is available in Ukraine, we are aiming to create dent-dent grain corn with FAO earliness of 200 to 400, suited to stressful conditions, particularly drought. Our business will enable us to make profi table use of the Group's germplasm in the pedoclimatic conditions of these great Eastern Europe markets.”

Proximity and advice for our co-op members

“Limagrain Agro-Productions‘ distribution business consists in supplying farmers with the products they require for their activity. And so my role is to follow the 150 farmers in the north-east of the county of Puy-de-Dôme on a daily basis. I work in the area of plant and animal production. Global knowledge of each farm and a good relationship are essential for proposing technical and economic solutions that correspond to the objectives of each co-op member and regulations in force. It is also a means for us to stand out from our competitors and remain viable.”

Owning a full wheat chain in Limagne

“The acquisition of the Moulin de Verdonnet mill, a complement to the Société Meunière du Centre (SMC) mill integrated as part of the merger with Domagri, has provided Limagrain with the missing link in its wheat chain. Our industrial plant is among the most modern in Europe. The Moulin de Verdonnet has extra crushing capacity, extending that of SMC, which is virtually saturated. The work undertaken with the teams at the mill in terms of organization and greater responsibility, along with the search for new outlets, will enable us to increase production. Our mill guarantees local transformation of the co-op members' wheat production, and means supplies are more secure for Jacquet.”

A worldwide onion player arrives on the scene

“Hazera and Nickerson Zwaan both had onion research programs. They were specialized in their own crop type segments and had high market shares on some sub-segments. Setting up the Hazera-Nickerson Business Unit (BU) has led to tremendous progress in our onion research. Building a global onion program by merging them together and adding the programs purchased through Advanta, Global Genetics and K&B, have made the Hazera-Nickerson BU a worldscale player in onion. As a biannual crop, research on onion needs time. We now have the tools and means to take advantage of the huge opportunities on the worldwide onion market. And the new varieties coming out of this unique research program are now successfully performing on the markets of the Americas and the Middle East.”

Using molecular marking to accelerate plant breeding

“Our breeders' objective is to create varieties that are suited to each market. In order to help them, our laboratory provides them with the most modern molecular marking techniques. Recent technological evolution has enabled us to increase the number of markers studied and speed up analysis. This information provides greater precision and speed in breeding, both for resistance traits and quality criteria. We also work upstream on transverse projects with KeyGene and the other Business Units in the Group, with a view to improving technologies and developing new methodologies. Until now, it was the traits of a variety created that determined its market. Today, as a result of Marker Assisted Breeding, we can offer breeders a cross that targets their needs perfectly.”

Supplying customers with plant innovation that meets their needs

“When you evaluate varieties you are at the interface between our Ukrainian customers and our research colleagues. The job involves choosing new varieties that best meet user needs on the basis of our trials. Currently, Ukrainian farmers prefer to grow grain corn varieties with an FAO earliness index between 220 and 350. Their priority is to have good hybrids that are stable in yield with grain that dries quickly; but they also need tolerance to drought, which often handicaps the crop. Proximity with farmers is essential to understand their quality needs for their varieties. The creation of our new breeding station in Ukraine is crucial to account for the specifi c nature of each country when breeding, and to create research programs that are adapted to customer requirements.”

Developing our Intellectual Property assets to give more credibility to our market positions

“An Intellectual Property (IP) strategy, deployed through protection by patents or drawings and models, is like betting on the future. IP is a means to acquire a monopoly to exploit what we have created, to set up barriers to prevent access to our markets, to restrict access to our technologies and to protect our R&D investments. It can provide a complementary source of revenue through technology transfers (license, disposal, etc.). It also encourages external partnerships and gives us more credibility. In bakery products, IP is all the more crucial because innovation is excessively fast and intended for the general public. It is essential for Jacquet, whether for techniques that are patented such as a longer BIUB, or for products such as Tartine P'tit Déj or Tendre Délice waffl es, fi led for their names, their technologies or their shapes.”

Ecodesign following in the steps of CSR

“Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) sets out to study three pillars of performance simultaneously – Economic, Environmental and Social – aiming at sustainability. Even though the bases for a methodological approach do exist, a lot of things still need to be standardized in order to obtain a process that is well-constructed, recognized and comparable. The analysis of industrial life cycles is an approach used for biolice. It is used to analyze the economic and environmental dimensions of production. Tomorrow it will lead to the concept of ecodesign. This will involve taking the environment and the economy into account any time a product is designed or improved on. For example this means optimizing consumption and costs regarding energy and raw materials, with the lowest possible impact on the environment. It involves indicators such as the carbon footprint.”

Creating wheat varieties that are benefi cial to health

“Modern food habits are leading to a constant increase in pathologies such as type 2 diabetes and cancer of the colon. Resistant starch is a fi ber that can help to prevent these pathologies. Its resistance to digestion avoids an infl ow of glucose into the blood, which is benefi cial for type 2 diabetes, and its fermentation in the large intestine frees up butyrate type substances that protect the colon. Cereals that are rich in amylose are sources of resistant starch. The object of the Arista joint venture, between Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients and its Australian partners (CSIRO and GRDC), is to develop wheat varieties that are rich in amylose, and that have a nutritional advantage meeting consumer needs. This research is being carried out in conjunction with Biogemma, Limagrain Europe and Ulice, and therefore involving all of Limagrain's wheat research working on the topic of Nutrition/Health.”

Supplying farmers with varieties that have improved performances

“The objective of our research program is to create new grain corn varieties with better performances in terms of yield and earliness to improve the results obtained by the farmer users. We also work specifi cally on the industrial value of corn in Europe. This means breeding future varieties with superior production capacity for meal, hominies or starch. They contribute to the performance of the chains set up in Auvergne and the farms involved as well. Growing needs require greater capacities for production than what Auvergne can supply alone. In this way our varieties are being used today in other regions of France, and in Hungary too, and through their specifi c capacities they are contributing to the dynamism of local agriculture.”

  “Implementation of the ESSOR* project in the industrial part of the Jacquet factories has involved total rethinking of how we function. Its objectives are to simplify processes and communication, to make all people involved feel responsible, and to recognize and make use of skills, at the same time improving on performances. We no longer consider things by job function, but by global process, from beginning to end. At Saint-Beauzire (Auvergne, France), we have recruited six internal Managers who supervise teams that master a linear process. They now rely on co-ordinators who are specialized per domain in each of the teams. This far-reaching change in management should start paying off very soon.”
*Stable, Structured Team in a Responsible Organization

“Being responsible for major export customers, I do the commercial follow-up on our international clients. We hold strong competitive positions for pellets and semolina products. We sell on all five continents and my aim is to find out more about our customers' needs so that I can give them better advice. My role is also to act as interface between them and the other departments at LCI: customer services, quality, production, research and development, etc. Compared with our competitors, our integration into the Limagrain supply chains is a real advantage. Our concept Limatrace, particularly with its traceability aspect, is a clear demonstration of this point, and plays a decisive role in choosing LCI as a supplier.”

  “After the creation of the Hazera-Nickerson business unit (BU) I was made responsible for the merger of the existing cucumber breeding teams. The combination of these excellent teams, supported by the BU's teams dedicated to new breeding technologies, shows the benefits that synergies can bring. By spending about 50% of my time in Israel, I now have a better understanding of our cultural differences. This makes it possible to exploit them in this team of seven. Being openminded, adaptable and supporting the development of all individual skills towards a common team target will be the basis for success in such a merger. In this case it revitalizes the cucumber breeding project of our BU: 1 + 1 will be more than 2…”

“For nearly three years, we have been using constant measurements and production monitoring indicators as management tools to improve on performances. All the employees can follow these figures for their workstation, and compare them with those of other colleagues. These values are also exploited by managers to follow the performance of their activities, and serve the purpose of motivating the employees. Following these indicators leads to a permanent improvement of measurements, analyses and performances. In our production factory at Sderot, we find the use of these indicators to be very efficient and useful in order to obtain better vision of the activity and good results.”

“Within 10 years, Limagrain Bulgaria has raised the LG brand to a position among the biggest on the corn and sunflower markets. Our market share today stands at 25% for sunflower and almost 15% for corn. Our product line-up comprises varieties that are particularly suited to farming conditions in Bulgaria. LG 56.65 is an outstanding variety! Our small team of eight, including three who were hired only last year, is backed up by a network of efficient distributors. Our market shares are the result of the efficiency of these two strategic elements in our activity. Our challenges are now to maintain these strong positions of course, but also to introduce our cereal and oilseed rape ranges in a weak economic market situation.”

  “With a team of only four people today, we are leaders on the silage corn market in Denmark with over 50% market share. With Advanta, we won this position within ten years thanks to the creation of the first sales team dedicated to Denmark. This decision meant that we could have real local presence, supported by excellent early products and top-rate seed quality. These strengths enabled us to meet the challenge of changing to the less well-known name of Limagrain Denmark and brand name LG. And they guarantee that we remain attractive and benefit fully from the predicted development of early grain corn intended for animal nutrition.”

“The aim of our work is to provide advice throughout the growing period to improve the performance of producers, and therefore the Cooperative itself, in seed production, but also in wheat and grain corn. Technical know-how is the key to our credibility with the coop members and helps to build up a relationship founded on trust. This means we permanently have to relook at what we do, both technically and in terms of regulations. Between the member and the technician, this creates exchanges that require open-mindedness, involvement and curiosity. This exchange is all the more important because our production environment can change rapidly and the need to anticipate is growing all the time.”

“New breeding techniques enable breeders to follow genes with greater precision in the creation of new varieties. Breeding "synthetic wheat" means re-building wheat from its three original genomes by identifying genes of interest which "unfortunately" have disappeared through the evolution of wheat as we know it today. Now these genes can be introduced with precision into new varieties to increase the genetic variability available for selection. The breeder's aim is to manage genetic resources and optimize valuable traits for growers, processors and consumers. In this sense, the plant breeder preserves and creates biodiversity and is at the heart of strategies for tomorrow's food”

“With the Jacquet Nutrition Charter, we are committing the company on quantitative and qualitative criteria that go beyond regulatory measures and public health policies regarding salt, sugar, the choice of essential fatty acids and flours, with maximum bran. The "2 in 1" loaf, which combines the benefits of whole wheat bread with the appearance and texture of white bread, is a perfect example. Our participation in the BleNNat program for natural wheat, and in the competitiveness cluster Céréales Vallée, which aims to provide food industrialists with cereal based raw materials with high nutrition provided by new varieties, are also the expression of our responsible approach to the consumer.”  

“In France, the "beetroot chain", mainly located in the county of Loiret, was on the way out because of rhizomania, which contaminates soils. The only solution was to move elsewhere into uncontaminated areas. However a resistance gene had already been identified in sugar beet. Producers and cooking companies asked Vilmorin to pick up on the research initiated by INRA (French public research) and then abandoned. In 2008, after 12 years of research and the use of molecular marking, Vilmorin registered its first resistant varieties: Grenade and Redval. In two years, they conquered 70% of the market because of their resistance, but also their qualities. This success story enabled Vilmorin to open up a worldwide beetroot breeding program.”  

“Our role in product development is to screen varieties coming from research by testing them on Mexican growers' farms, so we can determine which will best satisfy their needs. The keys to success are understanding their requirements and identifying market trends. Our team of nine follows more than twenty crops, including tomato, melon, cauliflower, carrot, etc. We check all production conditions from open-field to protected growing, and from mild to arid climate. We contribute to a worldwide screening process, which aims to develop our products where conditions allow them to express their potential most efficiently, in order to extend their lifecycle as far as possible in the different targeted markets.”  

"Transgenesis has greatly modified plant research. Nowadays success is the result of a combination of genetic material and technology. We are experiencing the beginning of a new era, in which these new tools will enable us to create improved varieties faster and faster. Doubling yield in 20 years, which is the game plan, can be achieved through using traits and technologies in breeding. We will need to adopt a targeted approach, particularly on the physiological elements that are responsible for yield. In a conservative market place, it is very positive to see Limagrain so proactive in seizing the opportunities these new technologies provide."

"Producers of grain corn seek excellent yield, tolerance to diseases and secured production. In order to meet the objectives assigned to the breeding programs, we have extended our resources, developed new tools and multiplied exchanges. Germplasm and pre-breeding play a strategic role in the sense that access to genetic variability is getting more and more limited. Techniques such as molecular marking and doubled haploids have become day-to-day realities used to accelerate precise breeding. And so we need to invent tools and adapt methods to optimize their use, so that breeders can obtain a new variety that meets the needs of farmers."