Growers and Beekeepers Collaborate to Take CARE of Crops and Bees
March 9, 2016
Bayer’s CARE Program promotes environmental stewardship and partnership between growers and beekeepers during planting season
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (March 10, 2016) – When it comes to bee health, constant communication between growers and beekeepers is a priority. Bayer’s CARE Program, now in its fourth year, educates each group during planting season about the importance of working together to protect these vital insect pollinators.
As a company committed to product stewardship and honey bee health, Bayer works to highlight the important and unique relationship between the growers that feed, fuel and clothe us and the beekeepers that manage agriculture’s greatest workforce.
Heading into the spring planting season, the CARE Program encourages dialog between growers and beekeepers and reminds growers to:
- Communicate planting activities to neighboring beekeepers when practical and be aware of beehives adjacent to the planting area;
- Be Aware of wind speed and direction during planting, particularly in areas with flowering crops;
- Reduce risk to pollinators by using Fluency Agent, a planter seed lubricant for corn and soybeans; and
- Ensure seed is planted correctly. To help protect the environment, clean planters and seed boxes in a way to minimize dust release and ensure treated seed is planted at the proper depth.
Since CARE’s inception several years ago, growers have increasingly maintained open channels of communication with their local beekeepers, making sure to notify them when applying crop protection products; using innovative technologies, including Fluency Agent, to minimize dust from treated seeds; and taking precautions to plant those seeds properly. This increased mindfulness by America’s growers is playing a role in the steady rise of the number of honey bee colonies in the U.S. over the past decade, reaching 2.74 million colonies in 2014.
“Collaborating with beekeepers is just one of the ways today’s growers are minimizing their impact on the environment,” said Kerry Grossweiler, Bayer SeedGrowth™ product manager. “Growers recognize the importance of following label instructions, adhering to best management practices and utilizing Integrated Pest Management programs, making agriculture more sustainable now than ever before.”
By reaching stakeholders at trade shows and through direct mailers, radio ads, video and social media, CARE has helped educate thousands of growers throughout the U.S. Additionally, between 2011 and 2016, Bayer invested more than $7 billion in Research and Development and expanding its production capacities and seed processing facilities to continue providing solutions for growers’ biggest concerns.
CARE is just one of the programs Bayer has implemented to promote sustainable agriculture to growers and other industry stakeholders. The Bayer Bee Care Program also educates growers about the various ways they can help bees thrive. Its Feed a Bee initiative, for example, promotes the importance of establishing more diverse habitat for bees and other pollinators. Through the initiative, dozens of growers and farming operations have dedicated thousands of acres of farmland to plant additional bee habitat.
“Bee health experts agree that lack of adequate forage and nutrition is one of the major factors affecting honey bees today,” said Dr. Becky Langer, manager of the North American Bee Care Program. “Feed a Bee encourages everyone, from individuals to large corporations to growers, to do their part to help bees, and the CARE Program helps to highlight another important way growers can help pollinators.”
Learn more about Bayer’s commitment to leaving a better world, and visit BeeHealth.Bayer.us for more information about Bayer’s Bee Care Program.
Bayer is committed to bringing new technology and solutions for agriculture and non-agricultural uses. For questions concerning the availability and use of products, contact a local Bayer representative, or visit Crop Science, a division of Bayer, online at www.CropScience.Bayer.us.
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Bayer: Science For A Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2015, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 46.3 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.3 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.Contact:
Bayer Media Hotline, 1-862-404-5118, or
Jeff Donald
Crop Science, a Division of Bayer
Tel: (919) 549-5395
Email: jeffrey.donald@bayer.com
Whitney Jinks
Porter Novelli
Tel: (404) 995-7919
Email: whitney.jinks@porternovelli.com
Find more information at CropScience.Bayer.us.
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