GREAT FALLS — BASF unveiled its latest agricultural breakthrough Tuesday in Great Falls: Vigor Gold, a yellow-seeded canola hybrid designed to thrive in tough conditions and unlock new farming potential across the Northern Great Plains, built to withstand extreme heat and drought.
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The event, held at the University of Providence, brought together local producers, ag industry leaders, and Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, who delivered a special address recognizing the innovation’s potential to support long-term economic growth for the state’s rural communities.
"Every industry needs to reinvent itself. This is why the farmers that are prospering are diversifying their crops so they’re not dependent on any one, sole thing," Gianforte said. "That’s why having a new type of seed that is more drought resistant is going to help our farmers.”
BASF describes the yellow-seeded canola as a game-changer for farmers across the Northern Great Plains.
The crop is bred to deliver stable yields in variable climates, which is an increasingly important trait as many producers face unpredictable weather patterns and fluctuating market demands.
The hybrid was developed through decades of research and field testing across North America.
Trials conducted between 2022 and 2024, InVigor Gold outyielded traditional canola by an average of 8% in the brown soil zones of Canada and the Northern Great Plains.
Attendees heard from a panel of speakers, including agronomists, canola breeders, and representatives from Montana Renewables and Montana Canola, who discussed how the crop could fit into regional growing systems and contribute to the renewable fuels economy.
Casey Nikol, who participated in the panel, said he’s had a positive experience with the new seed.
Nikol has a farm near Shelby, and recently planted both the yellow-seeded canola and traditional napus canola seeds.
He explained during the panel, “The variability is really tough to compete with, especially in low rainfall spot where we're at, and so finding something that’ll mature earlier and get out of the ground is really good. It started to flower in probably 2 to 3 weeks, we’re still waiting on the napus to flower where we’re at.”
The day also included a guided tour of nearby field trials, offering a look at BASF’s ongoing research and development efforts.
BASF representatives say the canola will continue undergoing trials and development, with hopes for broader regional adoption in coming seasons.
BASF plans to release InVigor Gold commercially in the U.S. in 2027.
