Science For A Better Life On Tour

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Jamie

Bayer has hit the road with an interactive exhibit celebrating 150 years of research in science. The exhibit set off on it’s long voyage in February 2013 and recently made it’s way to the one and only stop in the United States at the Bayer Crop Science Headquarters in North Carolina.

Chuck got the chance to visit the facilities and see the exhibit first-hand. He also interviewed Beth Roden, Bayer Director of Corporate Communications, who shared some more insight into the companies goal behind this worldly exhibition. “It’s a great way to get people to connect with Bayer and all it’s businesses and get a flavor of what we do and what we bring to society.”

The Anniversary Tour covers 22 components. Each component represents a letter from Bayer’s mission of, “Science For A Better Life.” Next stop on the tour is Latin America.

The interactive exhibition shows how the company has improved the quality of life for millions of people around the world has begun its tour of some 30 sites in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Bayer has chosen a highly creative way to portray these subjects. The Anniversary Tour brings to life the company mission, “Science For A Better Life.” The exhibition will focus on the topics of health care, agriculture and high-performance materials.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Beth here: Interview with Beth Roden

Bayer Celebrates 150 Years

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Chuck

The Bayer 150th Anniversary Celebration activities were held this morning at the Bayer CropScience headquarters in RTP, NC. On had were local dignitaries and stakeholders in the agricultural community.

We were welcomed to the event by Phil Blake, President and head of Bayer in the USA. He made some opening remarks I’m sharing with you as well as taking time for a short interview afterwards. Phil talks about the history of Bayer which you can find a lot of information about on the Bayer 150th Anniversary website.

You can listen to Phil’s remarks here: Phil Blake Remarks

You can listen to my interview with Phil here: Interview with Phil Blake

Also welcoming us to the Bayer celebration was Jim Blome, President/CEO, Bayer CropScience LP. Jim says it is a real honor for the CropScience headquarters location to be chosen out of all the Bayer U.S. locations for this celebration activity.

Included in the activities were a tour of the local Bayer facilities as well as seeing the only U.S. public display of a multi-component interactive exhibition.

Bayer on the road: in February 2013, to mark the 150th anniversary of Bayer, an interactive exhibition showing how the company has improved the quality of life for millions of people around the world will begin its tour of some 30 sites in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Bayer has chosen a highly creative way to portray these subjects. The Anniversary Tour brings to life the company mission, “Science For A Better Life.” The exhibition will focus on the topics of health care, agriculture and high-performance materials.

You can listen to Jim’s remarks here: Jim Blome Remarks

You can listen to my interview with Jim here: Interview with Jim Blome

You can find lots of photos to view and share here: Bayer 150th Anniversary Celebration Photo Album

Bayer – 150 Years of Science For a Better Life

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Chuck

Bayer is celebrating 150 years of Science for a Better Life. To commemorate this milestone anniversary the company is holding numerous events around the world. One of those events is happening in RTP, NC.

The event here will feature an interactive traveling exhibit that celebrates “Bayer’s rich history and our work to enhance the lives of millions of people through innovation.” We got started with a reception and dinner where many Bayer executives were on hand to enjoy some fellowship with each other and various stakeholder groups in the RTP area. Here is the Country Council for Bayer in the U.S.

I will be sharing more information from this Bayer event which includes some facilities tours as soon as I can.

Bringing Sexy Back to Agriculture

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Cindy

The take home theme of the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum this year came to be “bringing sexy back to agriculture.” Which begs the question – when was agriculture sexy before?

If sexy means sustainable, here are a couple of pretty sexy farmers. On the left is the Bayer CropScience 2013 Young Farmer Sustainability Award winner Jeremy Jack of Mississippi and next to him is the 2012 winner John Shepherd of Virginia.

John was on a panel at the recent Bayer Ag Issues Forum to talk about how he does things differently on his corn, wheat and soybean operation where taking care of the soil is most important to him. “My goal is to get it in better shape for future generations,” he said. “So I sow aerial cover crops – plant cover crops in plants already standing. I’ll fly rye on in soybeans that are standing so there’s already a cover crop growing when I cut the beans.”

Listen to some of John’s comments on the panel here: Virginia farmer John Shepherd

Jeremy is a partner in an 8500 acre operation growing cotton, corn, soybeans, rice and wheat. He currently serves as President of the Mississippi Soybean Association, and formally worked in Washington, D.C., under U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran during 2008 Farm Bill negotiations. After college, he returned to the family’s farm rather than pursuing a career in agricultural policy.

Jeremy said talking about sustainability is less important than doing something about it. “Our method of sustainability is sustainability in action,” Jeremy said. “With outreach and education we can make sustainability interesting.” And sexy too.

Listen to Jeremy’s comments here: Mississippi farmer Jeremy Jack

Pharming for a Better Life

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Cindy

Treatment for cystic fibrosis from corn? Potatoes that produce an antibacterial protein for use in cosmetics?

Welcome to what could be the future of pharming.

One of the growers at the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum was Bill Horan, COO of Horan BioProduction in Rockwell City, Iowa. Bill, who is also chairman of Truth About Trade and Technology, talked about how he got into the business of growing pharmaceuticals. “About 11 years ago we started with a French company,” he said. “They had inserted canine lipase into a corn plant to produce a lipase for cystic fibrosis patients.”

Bill and his brother Joe farm over 4,000 acres of corn in northwest Iowa and he says they are currently the only commercial farmers that he knows of producing pharmaceuticals. “It’s very difficult to get permits from USDA to grow these biologics,” he said, noting that because they have been working at it now for over a decade they know how to get it done.

Listen to some of Bill’s comments here: Iowa Farmer Bill Horan

Happy 150th Birthday Bayer!

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Cindy

Bayer is celebrating 150 years of “Science for a Better Life.”

“Not too many companies really have that heritage and we’re really proud of that because that really describes our long term commitment,” said David Hollinrake, VP of Agricultural Commercial Operations Marketing for Bayer CropScience.
While agriculture is just one segment of Bayer, it is a significant one. “Agriculture is certainly the focus this week and the focus of my role but Bayer is significantly larger than just agriculture,” David told me. “We call ourselves a life sciences company – we have crop science, health care, animal science and material science – so we span a lot of scientific categories and our mission is science for a better life.”

David says the agricultural side of Bayer has diversified over the last couple of years to encompass the entire cropping pattern. “Think of it as crop protection, seeds, biotechnology – really creating what we call integrated solutions,” he said.

Listen to my interview with David here: Interview with David Hollinrake

2013 Bayer CropScience Ag issues Forum Photo Album

Bayer CropScience Announces Balance GT Soybeans

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Chuck

We recently knew it as FG72 Soybeans. Now it is Balance GT Soybeans! Bayer CropScience and MS Technologies announced the new soybean performance system during the annual Ag Issues Forum here in Kissimmee.

To learn more about it I got perspectives and information from both sides by visiting with Lauren August, MS Technologies Brand Manager, and Eric Peters, Soybean Herbicide Product Manager, seen doing an interview here in the poster session. Lauren says you’ll be able to learn a lot more about Balance GT Soybeans on their new website. MS Technologies is responsible for the soybean trait side of the collaboration. The product is a dual herbicide tolerant trait stack featuring tolerance to both glyphosate and isoxaflutole. Bayer CropScience and MS Technologies intend to broadly license Balance GT soybeans. Balance GT soybeans will be available in high-yielding genetics in many maturity groups in the US in 2015, pending regulatory approvals.

Eric says that this will give growers an option to rotate chemistries with excellent residual for both grass and broad leaf weeds.

When growing Balance GT soybeans, growers will have the flexibility to use both glyphosate and isoxaflutole during burndown, pre- or post-emergence to achieve broad spectrum weed control of both grasses and broadleaf weeds. Rotating crops, herbicide modes of action and herbicide tolerant traits are good stewardship practices, and three of the best ways growers can achieve effective weed resistance management.

You can listen to my interview with Lauren and Eric here: Interview on new Balance GT Soybean

2013 Bayer CropScience Ag issues Forum Photo Album

Bayer Ag Issues Forum Sustainability Discussion

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Chuck

Sustainability. What does it mean to you? There is no real good definition. I like what Frank Sesno, moderator for the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum (pictured on left), said during his introduction of a session on day one, “I think if I had my druthers I’d ban it altogether because it’s such a catch all.” That it is!

The session is titled, “Connecting the Dots: The Business Case for Safe, Affordable and Sustainable Supply Chains.” Panel participants included Rob Kaplan, Senior Manager of Sustainability, Walmart Stores (center) and Rick Tolman, CEO, National Corn Growers Association.

This was a great conversation with a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas presented. I liked one exchange started by Rick Tolman who made a point that what’s important to him is what people use the term “not to mean,” He says, “In general society it tends to be an exclusionary term.” Then Rob Kaplan said, “Sustainability is really a journey not a destination.”

There’s a lot more to enjoy so you can listen to or download the conversation here: Bayer Ag Issues Forum Sustainability Session

2013 Bayer CropScience Ag issues Forum Photo Album

8th Annual Bayer Ag Issues Forum

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Chuck

After surviving an evening of entertainment with Jerrod Niemann (photos in album) the agricultural journalists gathered here in Kissimmee for the 8th annual Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum are up and at ‘em for round two.

I spoke with Beth Roden, Bayer CropScience Director of Communications, to find out about the history of the event and how it is going. Beth says that the Ag Issues Forum was started “as a way to connect with agricultural based media and dialogue around topics that are impacting the industry.” It’s an invitation only ag media event at which Bayer brings in thought leaders in the industry as well as within Bayer itself. Beth says the post event surveys have shown that the ag media participating not only enjoy the forum but really find useful, relevant, information to use in their publications and broadcasts.

You can listen to my interview with Beth here: Interview on new Beth Roden

2013 Bayer CropScience Ag issues Forum Photo Album

Taking a Look Back at Agriculture From the Future

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Chuck

Let’s pretend we’re in the future as in 2025 or 2050 and take a look back at agricultural production. Let’s do it with Rich Kottmeyer, Senior Executive and Global Agriculture & Food Production Leader, Accenture. That’s what we watched Rich do on stage during the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum and that’s what I asked him to do when we had time to visit afterward.

Rich says, “I think the number one thing we’re going to look at is how we empowered the small holder farmer, how we allowed them to get advice and how we’re able to do that through their mobile phone through digital technology.” Referring to data he says that more important than data are analytics. That data will be simple. He says “big data needs to lead to small insights.”

You can listen to my interview with Rich to get more insights from the future here: Interview with Rich Kottmeyer

2013 Bayer CropScience Ag issues Forum Photo Album

Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Chuck

Although I still have a couple of interviews to share from The Annual Meat Conference I have moved on down the agriblogging highway to Kissimmee, FL for the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum. Here are some of our ag journalists attending this annual pre-Commodity Classic program.

We will be hearing from the leadership of Bayer who are talking about how they’re working to achieve sustainable success in agriculture as well as some good friends like Michele Payn-Knoper who will be talking about engaging farm and food to meet in the middle. Of course there will be time to conduct interviews which I’ll be sharing as soon as I can.

In the meantime I have started a photo album for you here: 2013 Bayer CropScience Ag issues Forum Photo Album

Sanding Ovations at the NCBA Trade Show

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Jamie

If you attended the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show this year then I know you passed the people playing in the sand a couple dozen times. I couldn’t help but stop and snap a few pictures of the duo hard at work. I even asked if I could interview them and Meredith Corson, with Sanding Ovations, said sure.

Meredith and her husband, Dan Doubleday, met in the sand and soon fell in love and started Sanding Ovations. Combined, the couple has over 40 years experience in sand sculpting and travel the world building dynasties in the sand professionally and competitively.

Did you know that the type of sand makes a huge difference in how you are able to mold it? Meredith and Dan are from Treasure Island, Fl., so they were excited to be able to work with sand from their own backyard. The sand is the first thing in and the last thing out.

Bayer Animal Health sponsors this three time world champion team each year for the NCBA Trade Show. They brought in about 16 tons of sand to build their version of “Boots on the Bay.” A castle and corral reef coming out of a pair of cowboy boots.

Check out Sanding Ovation’s website to book them for your next event or stare in amazement at photos of their past work.

Listen to my complete interview with the Meredith: Interview with Meredith Corson - Sanding Ovations

You can find photos from the event here:Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

Bayer CropScience Honors Cotton Growers for Yields

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Cindy

Bayer CropScience and FiberMax® cotton are looking for more members to join the FiberMax One Ton Club™.

“More than 410 growers who’ve achieved 2,000 pounds of cotton to the acre on at least 20 acres, doing that with more than 27 varieties,” Jeff Brehmer, U.S. marketing manager for FiberMax, told attendees of the Beltwide Cotton Conference, highlighting the high yields of the varieties. And he says the fiber quality of the FiberMax cotton is recognized throughout the world. “We hear from gins out there who know they are ginning FiberMax cotton because it so much more efficient going through the gin. Those are the characteristics of that brand that we need to continue to deliver.”

Brehmer said that even in areas where water and growing conditions don’t make it possible for growers to achieve 2,000 pounds per acre, the FiberMax varieties still offer significant increases over what they had been growing. “The emotion also comes from where a farmer maybe 10 years ago was growing 350 pounds on their dryland but today is now growing 550 pounds. That success and emotion come with reaching levels that are attainable respective to your area.”

Growers can submit their qualification forms between now and March 1, 2013. Forms are available at local gins, through Bayer CropScience sales reps and online at www.FiberMax.com. Both first-time One Ton Club qualifiers and past members need to submit qualification forms for membership in the 2012 One Ton Club class. Members will be recognized at a banquet in April 2013 and have a chance to win a two-year lease on a Ford® Super Duty® F-350 King Ranch® truck. They also receive special FiberMax One Ton Club apparel and gifts.

Listen to Jeff talk about FiberMax and the One Ton Club here: Jeff Brehmer, FiberMax

Zimfo Bytes

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Talia

Food Tank Launches: Time to Change the Food System.
The Agrisure Viptera insect control trait provides a solution to the aflatoxin issue.
Bayer CropScience announces new collaboration with North Carolina State.
Orthman Manufacturing named Nebraska’s “Manufacturer of the Year”.

Stoneville Offers Two New Cotton Varieties

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Cindy

With weed resistance exploding across America’s farmland, Bayer CropScience has introduced two new Stoneville cotton varieties for 2013 that give cotton growers more tools to fight weed resistance and rotate herbicide chemistries on their farms.

Steve Nichols, U.S. Agronomic Services Manager for Bayer CropScience, gave the media an overview of the new varieties during the Beltwide Cotton Conferences last week.

Nichols explained that the ST 4946GLB2 is an early-medium maturing GlyTol LibertyLink Bollgard II variety with exceptional yield potential. “It’s widely adapted across the entire cotton-growing region. That speaks a lot about the stability and the consistency of the performance of it,” adding that it has offers root-knot nematode tolerance. “We’re looking for more varieties with different maturities to give that root-knot nematode tolerance, and this is going to deliver that.” Plus, he said it will have tolerance to the Liberty herbicides.

The other variety, ST 6448GLB2, gives a full-season capability. “It’s the first variety that we’ve really had that meets that full-season market for the South Region. So this variety fits very well in the South Delta, the Georgia market and even into South Carolina,” Nichols said. It also has a dual-herbicide technology that gives growers, especially in Georgia, a tool against resistant weeds.

Nichols added that the development of the Bayer CropScience Agronomic Services, providing hundreds of field trials, helps his company make these kind of developments in cotton varieties to match the right varieties for the right fields.

Listen to Steve tell us about the new Stoneville varieties as well as the role of Bayer CropScience Agronomic Services: Steve Nichols, Bayer CropScience

MS Technologies Collaborates to Innovate

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Cindy

ZimmCast 376 One company that was generating some buzz at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2012 and Seed Expo was MS Technologies, which made a name for itself a few years ago by collaborating Bayer CropScience on LibertyLink soybeans.

At ASTA, MS Technologies was talking about two new projects – Enlist E3™ with Dow AgroSciences and another Bayer collaboration currently known by its working name of FG72. I had hoped to catch up with MS Technologies Brand Manager Lauren August at ASTA, but since I was unable to do so we did a phone interview last week about the collaboration innovations they have in the pipeline and you can hear more about it in this week’s ZimmCast.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: MS Technologies Innovations

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Bayer Announces Bee Care Center at ASTA

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Cindy

The seed may be first, but bees are still important when it comes to agricultural production and Bayer CropScience was pleased to announce plans for a new North American Bee Care Center during last week’s American Seed Trade Association expo. The company plans to break ground in February 2013 on the center which will serve as a gathering place for researchers, bee experts, students and other visitors to meet regularly with leading Bayer scientists.

Bayer Seed Growth Lead Brad May says the Bayer Bee Care Center is dedicated to promoting and protecting bee health for everyone. “This bee health care center is to help talk to beekeepers,” he said. “We want to be able to look at the diseases and the varroa mite and everything about bee health because agriculture is our lives and bees are agriculture.”

Brad says they always have a lot to talk about at the ASTA 2012 CSS and Seed Expo. “Everything starts with the seed,” he said. “We have the seed, the seed growth products, application equipment that goes with the seed, colors and coatings, we’re just a strong supplier.”

Attendees at the expo this year showed a lot of interest in Poncho/VOTiVO seed treatment for insect and nematode protection and the On Demand™ application technology. Brad tells a story about one of his first users of the On Demand system who didn’t get to use it much himself because his 17-year-old daughter treated everything. “It’s all touch screen, you’re just moving 15 gallon kegs, it’s a closed system,” Brad related, adding that the new system led his client’s daughter to develop a new interest in agriculture!

Interview with Brad May

ASTA-CSS Photo Album

Bayer CEO at World Food Prize

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Cindy

Bayer CropScience CEO Sandra Peterson gave one of the plenary addresses at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue on the topic of how to feed a growing population.

“The one gift that eludes every single one of us, and especially those who are hungry, is time,” she said. “We have to feed nine billion people by 2050. We need to ramp up food production by 70% while conserving resources and preserving the planet, that is really no mean feat. 2050 may be decades away but if we want to feed the hungry and the parched planet tomorrow, we need to accelerate our sense of urgency today.”

Peterson talked about three ways she believes can help increase sustainable food production worldwide – empowering small holder farmers to become “agri-preneurs,” increasing innovation investments in climate mitigation and agricultural production, and enhance efforts to work together in a meaningful way. She said helping small holder farmers is critical because it is “the small holder farmer who produces most of the food consumed in their own countries where hunger is most prevalent” even in countries like Brazil.

“The way to solve this problem is one small holder farmer at a time,” Peterson said.

We just got word that Peterson is actually leaving her position as Bayer CropScience CEO at the end of November. Her successor will be Liam Condon who has been Managing Director of Bayer Vital GmbH, Leverkusen, and head of Bayer Pharma’s business in Germany since January 2010.

Listen to Peterson’s address at World Food Prize: Bayer CEO Sandra Peterson

View the World Food Prize Photo Album here.

AgWired coverage of the World Food Prize is sponsored by Elanco

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Bayer and the Bees

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Joanna

When a honey bee lands on a flower, she is helping to feed the world. Didn’t really think about it like that did you? In fact, honey bees are vital to agriculture and our food supply, and many bee populations have been dwindling at an alarming rate. This is why Bayer CropScience has launched a program to save the bees. The Bee Ambassador Program is an awareness and educational campaign aimed at showcasing the importance of bees. The company has also unveiled several Bee Care Centers.

Bayer’s Bee Ambassador Program will integrate key topics related to honey bee management and health with issues facing agriculture. Ambassadors will engage at the local level with beekeepers, farmers, researchers, government officials, educators, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the general public about the value of honey bees and the challenges they face.

During the 2012 Farm Progress Show, Cindy Zimmerman had an opportunity to learn more about Bayer’s Bees from Robyn Kneen. She explained that bees pollinate more than one-third of our crops so they play a very, very important role in agriculture. Without bees 90 percent of the world’s food would not exist.

We’re looking at the various factors that affect bee health so we’re doing research to the different factors, particularly the Varroa mite. That is a big problem for beekeepers today,” said Kneen. “We’re also promoting best practices in terms of stewardship of use of best products to ensure crop protection and agriculture and bees all live in harmony together.”

Bayer strongly believes supporting bee health requires ongoing collaboration and engagement to build new relationships with stakeholders and the Ambassador Program will become an integral component of Bayer’s outreach efforts.

Bayer's Bees

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album