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HomePosts Tagged "Bayer Crop Science"
Agri Genomics, Collaborations, Company News, Europe

The joint collaboration has focused on identifying novel sources of genetic resistance to Asian Soybean Rust (ASR), the leading cause of crop losses in Brazil and other soy-producing countries.

2Blades announces that it has successfully delivered on goals in a project launched in 2018 and extended in 2023 with Bayer Crop Science to identify resistance genes against Asian Soybean Rust (ASR). The project also involved partners at The Sainsbury Laboratory (Norwich, UK) and the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Minas Gerais, Brazil). This achievement marks the successful completion of the collaboration, paving the way for Bayer to advance new targeted strategies for controlling and combatting this destructive disease.

“Asian soybean rust is one of the most significant threats to soybean production globally,” said Ty Vaughn, Head of Plant Biotechnology for Bayer Crop Science. “The successful work that we’ve been able to accomplish with 2Blades will allow us to bring the solutions that growers need to farm more quickly.”

Asian soybean rust is a fast-moving disease caused by the airborne fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, that can cause rapid crop losses of up to 90 per cent within just 3 weeks of initial infection. ASR thrives in tropical regions and is the leading cause of soybean disease across the large soy production areas of Brazil, causing crop losses of more than US$ 10 billion since 2001. While fungicides have historically been used to combat P. pachyrhizi, the pathogen is rapidly adapting and building tolerance to these chemical controls.

In search of more effective measures against ASR, 2Blades and Bayer Crop Science sought to identify novel sources of genetic resistance for sustainable and environmentally friendly protection from ASR. In addition to identifying resistance genes, 2Blades’ scientists achieved major advances in understanding the molecular complexity of P. pachyrhizi, including assembling its complete genome sequence. This knowledge helps to ensure durability of resistance and complements Bayer’s work to provide various modes of action against ASR for effective, sustainable solutions to soybean farmers in the US and Brazil.

The joint collaboration has focused on identifying

Company News, Europe, Horticulture, Trade

Focus on large-scale professional strawberry growers to meet growing consumer and retail demand..

Bayer has announced the expansion of its leading Fruits and Vegetables business to strawberries. With the acquisition of the strawberry assets of UK-based NIAB, Bayer will expand its focus on professional protected culture growers to meet the growing consumer and retail demand for year-round, high-quality strawberries and will also have varieties available for open field conditions. This agreement allows the company’s Crop Science Division to provide a broader range of solutions for growers in the expanding protected strawberry market. The strawberry varieties are complemented by Bayer’s biological and chemical crop protection products. The acquisition is expected to close by January 1, 2024.

“Strawberries are the fastest growing fruit crop, with year-round demand exceeding supply. In fact, strawberries are the category leaders in the produce aisle, accounting for more than 23 percent of fresh fruit sales,” said Inci Dannenberg, Head of Bayer’s Vegetables business. “With Bayer entering the strawberry market, we will offer growers premium genetics combined with innovative crop protection products and digital solutions. The addition of strawberries to Bayer’s portfolio is a natural progression that many of our customers are making as well.”

NIAB’s Strawberry Breeding Programme has been operating for more than 40 years from its roots at East Malling Research Station which is located in Kent County, UK, and which has long been associated with excellence in horticulture innovation.

“NIAB at East Malling has built a strong foundation in strawberries, supported by more than a century of world-class horticulture research at our Kent site, and we’re proud that it will continue with Bayer,” said Mario Caccamo, CEO of NIAB. “As well as bringing accelerated innovation to UK growers, Bayer will also make these great tasting strawberries available to more growers and consumers around the world.”

By moving to protected cropping, strawberry growers have more control over their environment, crop management, pests and disease, and in turn will see clear benefits in fruit quality, harvest security and consistency. Additionally, plants grown under protection use less water than open field crops and have the potential for increased retail shelf life as they can be grown closer to the consumer.

With its advanced breeding technologies, Bayer will continue to deliver the advancements consumers, retailers and growers need. “We have built a strong foundation in precision breeding capabilities and look forward to bringing these approaches into strawberries,” said JD Rossouw, Head of Vegetables Research & Development at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Using these techniques will enable us to continue to advance on the foundation set by NIAB and deliver superior strawberries to our growers and the value chain.”

With more than 20 different crops and thousands of vegetable seed selections, Bayer’s Vegetable Seeds business supports a diverse range of growers with seed varieties tailored to the tastes and preferences of consumers around the globe. Key crops are Tomato, Cucumber, Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Lettuce, Melon, Onion, Pepper, Spinach, Sweet corn and Watermelon. Sales of the business unit reached 717 million euros in 2022.

Focus on large-scale professional strawberry growers to

Agrotech, Company News, IT, Middle East countries, R&D

The project involved conducting a feasibility study of Fermata’s automated pest & disease detection platform, Croptimus™, with the goal of verifying the capabilities of this computer vision system.

 Agrochemical major Bayer Crop Science, Israel, has concluded a collaboration with Fermata on a project designed to validate a model for reducing the use of pesticides through the application of artificial intelligence. The project involved conducting a feasibility study of Fermata’s automated pest & disease detection platform, Croptimus™, with the goal of verifying the capabilities of this computer vision system and proving how early detection of pests and disease increases sustainability. To this end, Croptimus™ was installed to monitor melons growing in mesh covered tunnels within this harsh environment.

The system employs AI to analyse thousands of images collected daily by cameras installed within the facility to detect the tiniest indications of both pests and pathogens which, left untreated, quickly get out of hand — leading to crop loss and a reduction of produce quality. Early detection being key, Croptimus™ is designed to substantially reduce crop loss, crop inputs (including pesticides), and dramatically reduce scouting time — in aggregate a significant savings.

The endeavour was an unqualified success according to Imri Gabay, Crop Protection Customer Advisory Manager at Bayer, Israel, “The initial experiment was extremely successful, and the system copes well with the many challenges in the field. We are already working on continuing cooperation between our companies.” Commenting further, he elaborated, “Early detection enables the application of less toxic substances, quickly dealing with the pest or disease before a major outbreak, allowing for precise spraying of a small area — and as a result, saving pesticides while obtaining cleaner produce.”

With energy prices soaring and greenhouse profits shrinking, Croptimus™ boosts the bottom line for growers while simultaneously reducing the need for pesticides and other inputs which would be otherwise wasted on lost crops — dramatically improving sustainability in agriculture.

Fermata CEO, Valeria Kogan PhD, added, “We at Fermata very much appreciate the opportunity to work with Bayer on reducing the amount of chemicals applied by growers. We are looking forward to this continuing collaboration and making our AI for early pest and disease detection available to farmers around the globe.”

The project involved conducting a feasibility study

Agrotech, Company News, India, IT

Cargill’s ‘Digital Saathi’ – a mobile-first, AI-driven service platform and Bayer’s Better Life Farming Centres aims to improve market access for smallholder farmers.

Bayer CropScience a global major in agriculture has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cargill, a global food corporation that creates connections across the global food system to help the world thrive.

This strategic partnership aims to revolutionize the agricultural landscape by offering farmers innovative solutions and facilitating optimal price realization for their produce. Drawing upon the capabilities of innovative platforms such as Cargill’s ‘Digital Saathi’ – a mobile-first, AI-driven service platform tailored to hyper-localized needs, and Bayer’s Better Life Farming Centres, that supports over 500,000 smallholder farmers, this strategic partnership is dedicated to improving market access for smallholder farmers.

Accessible in multiple languages, including English, Kannada, and Hindi, Digital Saathi caters to farmers in various districts of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, facilitating improved decision-making processes. This partnership between Bayer and Cargill endeavors to connect with 3 million farmers across India within the next five years. Initially, the partnership will be implemented in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh and subsequently expand to other regions.

Together, Bayer and Cargill are committed to equipping farmers with digital solutions, including discussion forums and comprehensive information on market prices, weather forecasts, and pre- to post-harvest insights. Bayer’s eCommerce strategy involves expanding tailored solutions through the Digital Saathi app, starting with corn farming in Karnataka and later expanding to other crops and regions.

By collaborating with Food Value Chain Partners, the aim is to revolutionize and sustainably impact the agricultural sector. This partnership also provides farmers access to Bayer’s leading corn portfolio, DEKALB®, on the Digital Saathi Platform, enhancing their agricultural capabilities.

Additionally, Cargill’s Digital Saathi platform offers convenient Crop Input e-commerce and Crop Sell Offer features, ensuring farmers have improved access to high-quality crop inputs and facilitating market linkages between farmers and aggregators through a digitally enabled marketplace. This integrated approach aims to enhance farmers’ decision-making capabilities, streamline agricultural operations, and foster efficient and seamless connections within the agricultural ecosystem.

Digital Saathi has already successfully engaged with more than 50,000 registered small farmers and is projected to expand its reach to 3 million farmers across eight states, including Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh by 2027. In line with Cargill’s global objective of providing sustainable agricultural practices training and improving market access for 10 million farmers by 2030, the introduction of Digital Saathi represents a significant stride toward achieving this goal.

Speaking on the partnership, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head, Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka said, “Access to advisory, quality inputs, credit, technologies, or markets is one of the biggest enablers to unlocking smallholder value, and it lies at the very core of what this partnership is all about. We also believe that digitization is key to this exercise therefore we are looking at leveraging all relevant digital tools to ensure that we are able to deliver greater value to the smallholder farmers and create for them a level playing field.”

Simon George, president of Cargill in India, said, “As Cargill, we are dedicated to creating innovative digital solutions, and we are thrilled to collaborate with Bayer to foster a productive and profitable ecosystem for farmers across India. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our journey towards sustainable and prosperous agriculture. By leveraging our combined strengths, expertise, and global networks, we remain steadfast in our commitment to support farmers worldwide and cultivate a resilient and inclusive food system.”

Commenting on the partnership, the founder of Digital Saathi, Raman Saxena said, “We initiated the introduction of farm advisory subscription and farm management services (soil testing) on our platform earlier this year, aiming to provide farmers with a comprehensive solution for their agricultural requirements. Through this partnership, we aim to provide access to wide range of quality inputs and implements to farmers via Agri Input Market place which will improve their yields and simultaneously provide holistic solution for maximizing farmers income.”

Cargill’s ‘Digital Saathi’ – a mobile-first, AI-driven

Agri Genomics, Agrotech, Company News, Europe, Finance, R&D

This year’s program addressed three innovation themes -sustainability traits, plant transformation technologies, and the gene editing potential of local plant varieties.

Bayer announced its 2023 cohort of Grants4Ag grant recipients who have been selected to research promising sustainability and biotechnology subjects in agriculture with support from Bayer. The annual program provides both financial and mentorship resources, with awards ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 Euro in addition to access to some of Bayer’s leading Crop Science researchers as mentors for the duration of the program. This year’s program addressed three innovation themes integral to Bayer’s R&D efforts in its Crop Science division: sustainability traits, plant transformation technologies, and the gene editing potential of local plant varieties.

This year’s focus lies on research to support sustainability and the development of next-generation genomic tools in agriculture / Researchers will receive funding and mentorship resources from Bayer to further advance their pioneering work and grow with mentorship from industry leaders. Researchers are able to work on promising sustainability and biotechnology subjects in agriculture with support from Bayer.

“The Grants4Ag program can make a direct impact on the future of agriculture and drive food security and sustainability going forward,” said Dr Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation and Outreach for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “We will be working with some of the best and brightest researchers from leading academic institutions around the world and are looking forward to advance innovations together.”

Grants4Ag awardees retain all intellectual property rights to their research. In addition to financial awards, successful researchers will also be paired with Bayer scientists to provide project guidance as their research progresses. With support from innovation partnering platform Halo, Bayer received more than 100 proposals from researchers around the world during a five-week submission window this past fall.

This year’s program addressed three innovation themes

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, Finance, World

Sales in the agricultural business (Crop Science) advanced by 15.6 per cent to a record 25.169 billion euros, with business up in all regions.

The Bayer Group achieved strong growth last year, posting significantly higher sales and earnings. ″2022 was a very successful year for Bayer despite the challenging environment. We were able to deliver, even during these difficult times, and met the upgraded financial targets we set in August, ″ said Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management, at the company’s Financial News Conference.

Sales in the agricultural business (Crop Science) advanced by 15.6 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.) to a record 25.169 billion euros, with business up in all regions. Growth was strongest at Herbicides (Fx & portfolio adj. 43.9 percent), which saw sales rise in Latin and North America and in Europe/Middle East/Africa in particular thanks to higher prices, as supply for glyphosate-based products was tight. Sales at Corn Seed & Traits rose 8.8 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.) as the division increased its market share. Price increases in all regions more than offset a decrease in acreages in North America and lower license revenues. Sales at Fungicides were up 5.2 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), with higher prices in the Latin America and Europe/Middle East/Africa regions in particular more than offsetting a decline in volumes in North America. Sales at Soybean Seed & Traits were level with the prior year, with business growing in Latin America but declining in North America due to lower volumes.

EBITDA before special items at Crop Science advanced by 46.2 percent to 6.867 billion euros, mainly due to the significant increase in sales. Earnings also benefited from contributions from ongoing efficiency programs and a positive currency effect of 284 million euros (2021: negative currency effect of 387 million euros). By contrast, earnings were mainly diminished by an increase in the cost of goods sold, which was primarily due to high inflation. The EBITDA margin before special items increased by 4.1 percentage points to an industry-leading 27.3 percent.

Sales in the agricultural business (Crop Science)

Company News, India

Bayer CS has identified clusters in 10 states and will aim to assist smallholder farmers with business planning, identification of key enablers, creation of market linkages and knowledge transfer.

Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) and Bayer CropScience Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form and promote 50 specialised Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). In collaboration with SFAC, Bayer CropScience Limited has identified clusters in 10 states and will aim to assist smallholder farmers with business planning, identification of key enablers, creation of market linkages and knowledge transfer, while working to establish 50 Farmer Producer Organizations.

SFAC’s partnership with Bayer CropScience Limited will help strengthen grower collectivisation and support farmer collectives to evolve as profitable and self-reliant business entities. Bayer CropScience Limited is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies providing sustainable farming solutions and has conceptualized an initiative with key value chain partners to build capacities of FPOs in India.

SFAC has emphasised the importance of collectivisation and FPOs important role in it. FPOs play a big role in building socio-economic resilience of the farmers, leveraging economies of scale in production and marketing. Value Chain organisations like Bayer has an important role to play in achieving the project’s objective. Its vast experience and outreach will certainly benefit the ultimate primary stakeholder.

Speaking on this milestone occasion, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “India is a nation of smallholder farmers. Collectivization in the form of a vibrant and strong network of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will not only improve farmers’ incomes but also supports the building up of a robust food value chain network to aid India’s food security, supporting food quality improvements and export potential. We as Bayer, are grateful to the Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) for giving us this opportunity of forming 50 FPOs. It brings to life and makes tangible our global commitment of empowering 100 million smallholder farmers by 2030 and providing them necessary resources to enhance their productivity and livelihoods and at the same time also contribute to the development of the Indian agricultural ecosystem.”

The MoU is aligned towards achieving the goal of the Central Sector Scheme launched by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India (“DA&FW”) of forming and promoting 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations.

Bayer CS has identified clusters in 10

Company News, Finance, North America

The divested business is set to operate as an independent company called Envu

Bayer has completed the sale of its Environmental Science Professional business to the international private equity firm Cinven, after the two companies had entered into a corresponding agreement in March. The conditions for closing the transaction – including the receipt of regulatory approval – have now been met. The purchase price for the business, which generated sales of approximately 600 million euros in 2021, amounts to 2.6 billion U.S. dollars (2.6 billion euros).

The divested business is set to operate as an independent company called Envu. The business is a global leader offering solutions to control pests, disease and weeds in non-agricultural areas such as vector control, professional pest management, vegetation management, forestry, and turf and ornamentals. It is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, United States, and is active in over 100 countries. Nearly 900 employees in total will transfer from Bayer to Envu.

“In Cinven, we have found a strong new owner with a firm commitment to the long-term growth potential of the business and to its people,” said Rodrigo Santos, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and head of the Crop Science Division. “At the same time, we can concentrate on our core agricultural business and the successful implementation of our growth strategy in the Crop Science Division.” Bayer will use the net proceeds from the transaction to reduce its net financial debt.

“Envu is a global leader in a highly attractive and critical industry. We thank Bayer for the trust they have placed in Cinven and plan to build on the strong foundations established by Bayer by significantly investing in it,” said Pontus Pettersson, Partner at Cinven. “Cinven is excited to build an independent, focused company and is well positioned to continue to drive innovation and accelerate growth, including the delivery of digital and data-enabled solutions, and to extend the product portfolio further by creating innovative and sustainable solutions for its customers.”

The divested business is set to operate

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News, Finance, Inputs

Bayer CS registered an expansion of business in North America and Asia/Pacific.

The Bayer Group achieved substantial growth in the second quarter of 2022. “We delivered strong operational performance. In terms of sales, we posted significant gains at Crop Science and strong growth at Consumer Health, as well as a slight increase at Pharmaceuticals, too. And with EBITDA before special items, we even achieved growth of 30 percent,” said Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management, on Thursday while presenting the company’s half-year financial report. “In view of our good business performance and higher growth expectations, we have raised our full-year guidance,” he explained.

In the agricultural business (Crop Science), Bayer increased sales by 17.2 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.) to 6.461 billion euros, driven by a substantial improvement in the market environment. The division recorded double-digit percentage growth in Latin America and Europe/Middle East/Africa, and also registered an expansion of business in North America and Asia/Pacific. Herbicides posted the strongest growth, at 51.3 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), with sales rising particularly in Latin and North America, as well as in Europe/Middle East/Africa as a result of prices for glyphosate-based products remaining high. Sales at Corn Seed & Traits advanced by 9.5 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), mainly due to price increases in North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Latin America. In addition, volumes expanded in all regions except North America. Sales at Fungicides rose by 4.3 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), with growth in all regions except North America, where volumes declined as a result of unfavorable weather conditions. Soybean Seed & Traits saw sales decline by 16.1 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), largely due to the significant reduction in sales from overproduction in North America and the unit’s withdrawal from the Argentinian market.

EBITDA before special items at Crop Science climbed by 71.8 percent to 1.749 billion euros. The growth in earnings was mainly driven by the substantial improvement in business performance, as well as contributions from ongoing efficiency programs. There was also a positive currency effect of 215 million euros (Q2 2021: minus 111 million euros). By contrast, earnings were diminished by an increase in costs, particularly in the cost of goods sold, which was mainly due to high inflation. The EBITDA margin before special items rose by 6.8 percentage points to 27.1 percent.

Bayer CS registered an expansion of business

Agrotech, Company News

Due to strong farmer interest, AOS expanded the opportunity to participate in phase two of the program to 100 percent of its Brazilian grower base.

Alliance One International, LLC has announced the phase two results of the partnership of its Brazilian subsidiary (“Alliance Once Brazil”) with Bayer Crop Science, which was formed with the goal of providing quality maize seeds and agronomic support to smallholder tobacco farmers in Brazil. Following the completion of the 2021 growing season, participating farmers reported a 15 per cent average increase in maize yield compared to the 2020 growing season.

“Due to strong farmer interest, we expanded the opportunity to participate in phase two of the program to 100 percent of our Brazilian grower base,” said Helio Moura global agronomy director for AOI. “We distributed 5,700 bags of Bayer maize seed to our contracted farmers as well as provided fertilizer and additional agronomic guidance related to maize production. As a result, farmers reported that they experienced improved crop quality and yield, in turn, increasing the farmers’ bottom lines.”

Through the partnership, Alliance One Brazil’s goal is to help its contracted farmers diversify their income by strengthening the quality and yield of a crop that is complementary to tobacco. Farmers that participated in phase two of the program earned an average of $270 more per hectare of maize when compared to the prior crop.

“Alliance One Brazil’s contracted farmers produced an additional 5.150 metric tons of maize this past crop year, which is primarily sold for use in animal feed,” said Moura. “Given the threat of a global food crisis, it is increasingly important to help our farmers scale production in order to help offset shortages and high costs.”

In response to the positive results of the program’s second phase, Alliance One Brazil is evaluating the inclusion of additional crops as part of the program and AOI is assessing the potential to expand the program to other countries within its footprint. 

“We are very excited about the future of this program and its potential to improve farmer livelihoods not only in Brazil but around the globe,” said Alex Strohschoen, president of AOI. “As we enter the 2022 growing season, we plan to introduce the program to our contracted farmers in Argentina, where a significant portion of our grower base could benefit from improving the quality and yield of their maize crops.”

Due to strong farmer interest, AOS expanded

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agro chems – Pesticides, Finance

Bayer’s sales grew by double-digit percentages in all regions and achieved particularly strong growth at Herbicides (Fx & portfolio adj. 59.8 per cent) and Fungicides (Fx & portfolio adj. 18.6 per cent)

The Bayer Group had a very successful start to 2022. “We achieved outstanding sales and earnings growth, with particularly substantial gains for our agriculture business,” said Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management, on Tuesday as he presented the quarterly statement for the first quarter of 2022.

In the agricultural business (Crop Science), sales rose by 21.6 per cent (Fx & portfolio adj.) to 8.447 billion euros thanks to substantial price and volume growth. Bayer’s sales grew by double-digit percentages in all regions and achieved particularly strong growth at Herbicides (Fx & portfolio adj. 59.8 per cent) and Fungicides (Fx & portfolio adj. 18.6 per cent). While there was particularly strong growth for Herbicides in North America, Fungicides generated double-digit percentage sales growth in all regions. Corn Seed & Traits posted sales gains, primarily due to price increases in all regions. Here, Bayer also benefited from volume gains in the Europe/Middle East/Africa, Latin America, and Asia/Pacific regions. Sales at Soybean Seed & Traits were level with the prior-year period (Fx & portfolio adj. up 0.8 percent), and were higher in North America due to price increases but lower in Latin America due to lower volumes.

EBITDA before special items at Crop Science advanced by 49.9 per cent to 3.669 billion euros, driven mainly by higher prices. Bayer also benefited from higher volumes and ongoing efficiency programs. By contrast, earnings were diminished by an increase in costs, particularly in the cost of goods sold, that was mainly due to high inflation. There was a positive currency effect of 98 million euros (Q1 2021: minus 252 million euros). The EBITDA margin before special items increased significantly by 6.6 per cent points to an all-time high of 43.4 percent; currency effects had a dilutive effect of 0.8 percentage points.

Bayer’s sales grew by double-digit percentages in