Crop Protection division celebrates the 100th anniversary of its Agricultural Center Limburgerhof 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 100th anniversary of the Agricultural Center will be celebrated at events in Limburgerhof with employees as the main focus. “For the past 100 years, our people at Limburgerhof have been doing great work. They have developed numerous products and solutions and brought them successfully to market. These have helped farmers all over the world to protect and improve their crops, both then and now. We can all be very proud of that,” said Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division.

The division sees further growth to come and is aiming for sales of €8 billion by 2020. Continuous investments in research and development as well as close cooperation with customers are BASF’s keys to success. “We will take on the challenges of the future and continue to provide innovative solutions to farmers for their daily needs, both in crop protection and beyond,” Heldt said yesterday at the employee meeting where he officially commemorated the anniversary year. During the rest of the year, several events are planned for the employees at the Agricultural Center Limburgerhof.

Historical overview

The entrance to the Agricultural Research Station in the early years of research in Limburgerhof 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 agricultural chemistry. The product Nitrophoska® was another milestone upon its patent registration in 1926, as it met farmers’ demands for an affordable and easy-to-use fertilizer.

Between 1949 and 1964, an assortment of products around the herbicide U46 was developed. U46 had become a comprehensive solution for all common weed problems and helped to increase crop yields, especially in cereal crops. Then in 1964 Pyramin® was launched, a brand new selective herbicide for sugar beets that also went on to become a success.

With the advent broad spectrum fungicides, crop protection at BASF expanded again. In 1956, Polyram® was brought to market, followed in 1957 by Polyram® Kombi which was used as a contact fungicide with even better efficacy. Polyram® WG remains on the market and has proven its worth in a variety of crops from fruits and vegetables to vineyards.

The research station and the farm estate had thrived since 1914Starting in the mid-1960s, BASF established its own research station in the United States. BASF later expanded into other important markets, including Brazil and Japan, in a similar manner.

 In 1996, the company acquired part of the pharmaceutical company Sandoz’s global business in corn herbicides.

With its entry into plant biotechnology, BASF opened new avenues of research in Limburgerhof in 1998. The BASF Plant Science division developed an industry-leading research and technology platform with a focus on improving plant properties. BASF Plant Science has been headquartered in North Carolina, USA, since 2012.

In 2000, with the acquisition of American Cyanamid, BASF became one of three leading global manufacturers in research-based crop protection.

The development of the active ingredient F 500® led to a breakthrough for BASF in the fungicide market in 2002. This was followed by the fungicide Xemium® in 2011, which quickly became another blockbuster, reinforcing BASF’s position as a leading fungicide supplier.

In 2008, BASF acquired the pest control business of the British Company Sorex, together with its US-subsidiary Whitmire Micro-Gen. BASF’s global business segment in this area markets products for professional pest control and the protection of public health. These include Termidor® to control termites and ants and the mosquito net Interceptor®, which is effective against mosquitoes and supports the fight against malaria and other tropical diseases.

The Agricultural Center Limburgerhof will continue to expand structurally and technologically in order to meet all the demands of modern crop protection.The US-company Becker Underwood became a part of BASF in 2012. With this acquisition, BASF became one of the world’s leading providers of technologies and products for biological seed treatment and crop protection as well as pigments and polymers for treating seeds. The new business unit, named Functional Crop Care, provides additional services and solutions for stress management in its portfolio.

The Agricultural Center has grown considerably over the past 100 years. It covers 12,250 m² of greenhouses and 40 hectares of open land. The approximately 1,700 employees at the Agricultural Center include biologists, chemists, technicians, agronomists, farmers, gardeners and business experts.