Bayer Advances Agriculture Education In Collaboration With The American Royal School Tours Program
September 24, 2015
School Tours program engages students in the story of modern agriculture with hands-on learning opportunities
Kansas City, MO – September 25, 2015 — For the last 20 years, Bayer has supported the American Royal in celebrating the Midwest’s rich agricultural history through competition, education and entertainment. To continue this tradition, this week, Bayer and the American Royal are educating local Kansas City area elementary students on the story of modern agriculture through the School Tours program. This youth education initiative provides hands-on demonstrations and educational tours that demonstrate the importance of successful integration of agriculture, animal science and technology, to create local and global food systems.
“We are proud to partner with the American Royal to provide local students with hands-on learning to demonstrate the amazing intersection of science, agriculture and technology,” said Kerryann Kocher, senior director, Farm Animal Products Business, Bayer HealthCare Animal Health. “Bayer is committed to enhancing science education to develop our nation’s future agriculture leaders and innovators, and is excited for what this American Royal season has to offer in achieving this goal.”
Bayer employees volunteered their time throughout the week to conduct hands-on, agriculture based demonstrations with over 4,500 students, bringing out their inner scientist with fun, interactive experiments. The experiments help students learn firsthand how science and technology work together to improve their daily lives. This hands-on, inquiry-based learning is the foundation of Making Science Make Sense®, the company’s national award-winning science education program that aims to get students thinking about science and ways that science is involved in their everyday lives.
To teach students about the importance of pollinators and pollinator health in the agriculture industry this week, Bayer is showcasing Feed A Bee. This initiative supported by the Bayer Bee Health program aims to educate students on the critical role honey bees play in the pollination of many fruits, nuts and vegetables, which contribute to a healthy, nutritious diet.
This year, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Making Science Make Sense, Bayer has launched a campaign to celebrate and say thank you to mentors nationwide who have helped provide children with hands-on learning opportunities to inspire the next generation of science enthusiasts. From September 9 through November 25, Bayer is asking people of all ages to share a “thank you” message by visiting www.SayTkU.com or sharing via social media, acknowledging someone who has inspired scientific imagination and helped to make science make sense in their life.
“Having a partner like Bayer that encourages students to pursue science education and provide firsthand examples of how agriculture impacts their personal lives is truly rewarding,” said Kristie Larson, director of education, American Royal. “The American Royal is dedicated to providing students with learning experiences that reflect our agrarian values, and Bayer’s support of our mission makes our relationship that much stronger.”
About The American Royal
The American Royal Association, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that has been a Kansas City tradition since 1899, celebrates our region's rich agricultural heritage through competition, education and entertainment. As a not-for-profit community volunteer based organization, the American Royal raises funds to fulfill its vision and mission though endowments, contributions, sponsorships and event revenues. As an organization dedicated to youth and education, the American Royal reaches over 55,000 students annually with educational programs and events year long through the American Royal Museum, School Tours, CALF (Children Agriculture Learning Fest) and various other programs. In 2014, the American Royal granted over $1,400,000 towards its purpose in the form of scholarships, competitive prize monies and educational awards. For more information, visit http://www.americanroyal.com.
About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience, the subgroup of Bayer AG responsible for the agricultural business, has annual sales of EUR 9,494 million (2014) and is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of products including high value seeds, innovative crop protection solutions based on chemical and biological modes of action as well as an extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture. In the area of non-agricultural applications, Bayer CropScience has a broad portfolio of products and services to control pests from home and garden to forestry applications. The company has a global workforce of 23,100 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.
About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 18.9 billion (2013), is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover, develop, manufacture and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 56,000 employees (Dec. 31, 2013) and is represented in more than 100 countries. More information at www.healthcare.bayer.com.
About Feed a Bee
A creation of the Bayer North American Bee Care Program, Feed a Bee is a major initiative to increase food for honey bees and other pollinators, including growing 50 million flowers and providing additional forage acreage in 2015. By collaborating with organizations and individuals throughout the United States, Feed a Bee will help to provide pollinators with the food they need not only to survive, but to thrive, as well as help to educate consumers on the important role they play in our daily lives. For more on Feed a Bee, go to FeedABee.com.
Contact:
Bayer Media Hotline, 1-862-404-5118, or
Lauren Dorsch
Bayer HealthCare Animal Health
Tel: (913) 268-2747
Email: lauren.dorsch@bayer.com
Erin Smith
MMI
Tel: (919) 233-6600
Email: erin@mmipublicrelations.com
Find more information at www.bayercropscience.us.
