Canada reaping returns for canola experiment

Toronto

IN the heart of Canada's bread basket, a Richardson International Ltd processing plant stands as a testament to what may be the country's most successful agricultural experiment.

Farmers across the Prairie Provinces are planting record acres of canola, a crop that didn't exist about four decades ago but now is the nation's biggest, sown on more land than spring wheat. Richardson was the first company to market canola oil. It has since expanded capacity at factories like the one in Lethbridge, Alberta, as global demand exploded and Canada became the top exporter of an oilseed used in everything from salad dressing to french fries.