At its very beginning… the Semican Research Center was created in 1996 by Jacques Beauchesne, the founder of Semican. At that time, provincial and federal grain improvement programs were ending ... or moving elsewhere ... How do we stand out then, if we no longer have access to private cultivars? The creation of the Research Center fulfilled our need.

The Center’s primary goal was to get our hands on quality and exclusive grain cultivars that we could offer to Canadian grain farmers. To do this, Jacques Beauchesne without any hesitation, met local, national and international partners in order to obtain material to be tested in the climate of Quebec. Associations with breeders offering him genetic material took place and it then became possible to carry out selection. Over the years, crosses in cereals and soybeans were made in the traditional way in the field. Despite the lack of use of modern techniques to speed up selection, the Center for Research has done well. Thus, in just under 25 years, Semican will have marketed 41 cultivars to date.

Since 1998, RGCQ trials have been established at the Princeville site; which makes it an important partner for the industry. This without counting the multiple evaluations barley with malting potential in order to obtain the best cultivars adapted to the climatic conditions of Eastern Canada, thus providing increased profitability for producers here, while respecting the quality criteria sought by buyers.