PASCO -- After nearly a year and a half of construction and more than $40 million in costs, a new facility is born in Pasco that could change the way crops are grown in the Mid-Columbia.

"The biggest impact is gonna be on the number of seedlings that actually germinate, as well as the uniformity of those seedlings as they progress through the growing cycle" said Tim Primus, head of supply chain.

The Syngenta Vegetable Seed Processing Facility, which celebrated it's grand opening today, processes sweet corn, watermelon, squash and a handful of other vegetable seeds.

As they're processed, the seeds are conditioned and tested with different temperatures and wind speeds to make them more efficient.

Employees say their goal is to make the seeds more growable during colder temperatures.

As of today, they've developed seeds that grow 10% better than normal.

"We put a lot of money into new seed treatment technology, a lot of money into gentle handling techniques to protect the germination of the seed and in particular, there's a lot of technology put into our dryers" said Dan Burdett, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds President.

The new facility is also a big benefit to the city of Pasco, which was picked by Syngenta out of nearly 50 other locations around the world because of it's growing conditions and business environment.

30 full-time employees have been hired to work at the facility, and about 70 more will be brought on during the sweet corn harvest seasons.

"Most importantly, it's adding value to agriculture. Our economy here in Pasco and in fact in the state of Washington is really depending on agriculture, that is the base of our economy" said Joyce Olson, Pasco Mayor.