Video

Saaten-Union: Breeding for the future (English)

We live in a time of shortage of resources, changes in climate, the necessity of feeding a continuously growing world population and the increasing cultivation of renewable resources. One result of this current situation is that proper plant breeding has become a top priority.
SAATEN-UNION GmbH was founded in 1965 and is an association of seven medium-sized plant-breeding enterprises with more than 100 years of breeding experience behind them. We make energy-efficient and healthy varieties of seeds available for all European crop-growing areas. The secret of our success is our practical down-to-earth experience, our technological leadership and an unparalleled genetic range of more than 40 agricultural grain varieties.


Exchange of know-how means greater know-how
SAATEN-UNION has cash crops but also a large variety of grains specially adapted to particular regions. Our company takes the know-how of the most diverse areas and combines them efficiently with each other. It makes use of modern genetics to achieve an [… mehr]

We live in a time of shortage of resources, changes in climate, the necessity of feeding a continuously growing world population and the increasing cultivation of renewable resources. One result of this current situation is that proper plant breeding has become a top priority.
SAATEN-UNION GmbH was founded in 1965 and is an association of seven medium-sized plant-breeding enterprises with more than 100 years of breeding experience behind them. We make energy-efficient and healthy varieties of seeds available for all European crop-growing areas. The secret of our success is our practical down-to-earth experience, our technological leadership and an unparalleled genetic range of more than 40 agricultural grain varieties.


Exchange of know-how means greater know-how
SAATEN-UNION has cash crops but also a large variety of grains specially adapted to particular regions. Our company takes the know-how of the most diverse areas and combines them efficiently with each other. It makes use of modern genetics to achieve an expanded and sustainable crop rotation. SAATEN-UNION partners are well known for their plant breeding innovations, for example, the development of robust hybrid varieties or the different climate-resistant grains developed for our European latitudes.

SAATEN-UNION's strategy is to concentrate at each breeding station on a few intensively treated plant varieties. Rape, peas as well as hybrid and standard ryes are bred and treated together in cooperation with special partners and in our own associated companies.

Biotechnology for farmers, consumers and environment
Plant breeding and the technology related to it, such as that of the double haploid or the marker-supported selection, are among the most important key technologies of our day. What is important is the benefit for the farmer and for the consumer, on the premise of a sustainable production. Our goal is, with the help of new technologies, to develop still greater crop yields, even healthier and higher quality varieties. SAATEN-UNION now has one of the biggest and most advanced biotechnological laboratories for plant breeding in Germany and so we are well equipped for the future.

From professionals for professionals
The SAATEN-UNION partners are themselves actively involved in farming. The result of their practical everyday experience is the development of varieties which fulfill their highest agricultural expectations. A unique European testing network is available to SAATEN-UNION breeders and makes it additionally possible for them to provide the suitable variety for each and every crop-growing condition.

Located throughout Europe
At SAATEN-UNION our variety policy, our distribution to and communication with the customer are all conveniently found in one enterprise. An innovative product management optimizes the development of our varieties and serves as a link between breeding and marketing. In Germany we have 14 agricultural experts who work full-time for us as consultants and 30 farmers who serve as special advisors for their fellow-farmers in their locality.

In Europe SAATEN-UNION has eight subsidiaries — one each in Great Britain, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Russia — and since 2009 in Ukraine, active as an umbrella brand. In other countries we have sales agreements in cooperation with certain companies. We also have a sales cooperation with RAPOOL Ring GmbH and its subsidiaries. And there is a sales agreement for varieties offered by HYBRO Saatzucht GmbH & Co. KG. All of these have made an important contribution towards strengthening the position of SAATEN-UNION in the seed market.

In the SAATEN-UNION group there are 780 employees across Europe, 70 of whom work in our headquarters in Isernhagen, Germany. Thanks to its decentralized structure, our European-oriented enterprise, with each of its partners' know-how, is able to develop local markets and be of service to them. The dynamic development in sales on all of the very diverse European markets shows us that our concept is the right one.

Our logo, "Züchtung ist Zukunft" (Breeding for the future) determines our strategy because seeds are the most basic elements for supplying people with a healthy variety of food and with renewable resources. We want to make our contribution in shaping the future in a responsible and sustainable way. We are working today on the plant varieties of tomorrow.


Produzent: Saaten-Union GmbH

Redaktion & Regie: Oliver Mengershausen

Kamera, Schnitt & Ton: Ralf Bieler