Giving a keynote address to about 200 agricultural journalists this week in Leverkusen, Germany at the Future of Farming Dialog 2016 was Liam Condon, President of the Bayer Crop Science Division. There were three key areas to Condon’s address: challenges in agriculture, innovation and sustainability. He started out with a statement that he can not comment on the negotiation between …
Latest Bayer offer to Monsanto
Here’s the latest update on the proposed Bayer acquisition of Monsanto with published statements from each. From Bayer: Bayer confirms advanced negotiations with Monsanto concerning a proposed transaction. While key terms and conditions have not yet been agreed, Bayer would be prepared to provide a transaction consideration of USD 127.50 per Monsanto share only in connection with a negotiated transaction. …
#IFAJ2016 Tour – Part 10 – Bayer Bee Habitat
You might think bees just live in hives. You would be wrong. They live all over the place. I got some up close and personal looks at this during the IFAJ Bayer Tour that included having Dr. Patrick Lind, employed at FlächenAgentur Rheinland GmbH, show us different places and reasons for bee habitat on the Damianshof Farm. There are a …
Bayer is into #Peanuts
The recent Bayer Showcase plot tour near Dawson, Georgia showed the commitment that the company has to peanut growers. “We’re really excited that we’re just launching a new nematicide for peanuts called Velum Total,” said Keith Rucker, Bayer tech service rep for the Southeast. “We had a limited launch last year, this year is really the first full blown year …
#IFAJ2016 Tour – Part 9 – Bayer ForwardFarming
With only a few episodes left in my series from the 2016 IFAJ Congress Bayer Tours we’ll continue the focus on the Bayer ForwardFarming Initiative. In this episode we got a look at the the bigger picture in Germany which includes Damianshof Farm near Neuss. Walking us through the overview was Belinda Geisen-Druse. In Germany there are 22 farms that …
#IFAJ2016 Bayer Tour – Part 8 – ForwardFarming Initiative
Let’s turn to the Bayer ForwardFarming Initiative in this episode of my tour during the IFAJ Congress in Germany. We got our look at the concept on Damianshof Farm near Neuss. Our host was farm manager Bernd Olligs. His family has managed the farm for six generations and he inherited ownership from his mother. On Bernd’s farm they grow sugar …
Talking Weeds at Bayer Showcase Plot Tours
To start the day off in Athens, IL., one of the stops in the Bayer Showcase Plot Tours, Dr. Aaron Hager, University of Illinois, talked weed control with growers and retailers in attendance. Key weeds Dr. Hager highlighted included marestail, palmer amaranth and water hemp. Two-way resistance is commonly seen in fields across the country, but Dr. Hager talked about …
Bayer Reviewing Options in Belt® Insecticide Decision
Earlier this month, an appeals board for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) upheld the agency’s decision to cancel registration for Bayer’s insecticide flubendiamide, marketed in the U.S. as Belt®, while still existing stocks to be sold by retailers or used by growers, but Bayer is continuing to evaluate its options going forward. “We’re currently going through due diligence and vetting …
#IFAJ2016 Bayer Tour – Part 7 – Application Tech – Nozzles
In this episode of my series on touring Bayer CropScience during the IFAJ Congress in Germany the focus will continue on application technology. This time specifically on spray nozzles. Ralph-Burkhardt Toews, Bayer Application Technology Manager, gave a field demonstration using different types of nozzles. In the first part of the demonstration he shows the difference between standard spray nozzles vs …
#IFAJ2016 Bayer Tour – Part 6 – Application Technology
You don’t usually think of Bayer CropScience as an application equipment company but did you know that the company does a lot of work with machinery manufacturers, supporting them in ways like the development of environmentally friendly spray technology. The team for this is lead by Dr. Reinhard Friessleben, Head of Bayer’s Application Technology. He along with Armin Lind, Application …