FARMERS ARE ONE OF THE GROUPS MOST IMPACTED
by the detrimental effects of climate change. They’re
also playing a key role in mitigating it through the
use of new technologies. Bayer, the globally recog-
nized pharmaceuticals and life sciences company,
is behind innovation that helps farmers make their
operations more sustainable.
“At Bayer, we’re working toward our vision of
health for all, hunger for none,” says Leo Bastos,
who leads Global Commercial Ecosystems for Bayer,
including its Carbon Initiative that promotes
climate-smart farming methods. “We are fulfilling
that vision by driving innovation to help farmers
grow more crops per acre, use fewer resources,and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through
climate-smart growing practices.”
Bayer’s global teams of researchers specializing
in agricultural biology, biotechnology, crop protec-
tion, and data science implement this innovation
and assist farmers. Through the company’s digital
platform, Climate FieldView (the industry’s most
connected and widely used such platform, based
on total global subscribed acres), farmers can
collect and track data related to their climate-
smart practices and analyze the information to
inform future decisions.
The Bayer Carbon Initiative debuted last year
and is now deployed across thousands of farms in
the United States, Argentina, Brazil, the European
Union, and India. Combining years of internal re-
search, modeling development, and field trials, this
science-based approach incorporates agronomic
technology and digital tools to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. Bayer’s U.S. Carbon Program is
sequestering airborne carbon in the soil, which is
accomplished with low- or no-till techniques that
minimize soil disturbance and preserve beneficial
organisms. Another important technique is plant-
ing cover crops to lessen erosion and promote
fertility. Eventually, companies looking to mitigate
their environmental footprint will be able to pur-
chase the carbon credits generated through these
practices.
Third-generation Indiana farmer Kassi Tom-
Rowland is seeing the benefits of the U.S. program.
Last year, she enrolled 400 acres of Tom Farms,
the diversified row crop and beef operation her
grandparents started in 1952. She is planting
clovers and radishes between cash crops (corn
and soybeans) to enhance the organic matter in
the soil and sequester carbon. She also uses other
practices to make her operation more sustainable,
like high-yielding seed and digital tools that help
her do more with less. “It’s a constant evolution
to bring in the latest technologies and practices,”
says Tom-Rowland. “Bayer’s innovation and leader-
ship in this space are so important to us.”
That innovation and leadership includes Bayer’s
work toward building a scientific foundation for an
economically viable path for a successful carbon
economy. This includes the potential for voluntary
offset markets, scope 3 emissions reductions,
and low-carbon intensity crops.
“We want to make sure farmers are set up for
success in the fight against climate change,” says
Bastos. “It will take time, but we are working hard
to get there.” ■Bayer is developing climate-smart
solutions that help growers produce
crops in more environmentally
friendly and profitable ways.
BRINGING
SUSTAINABLE
INNOVATION
TO FARMERS
CONTENT FROM BAYERWith a focus on constant
evolution, third-generation
farmer Kassi Tom-Rowland
enrolled 400 acres of her
Indiana farm in Bayer’s
Carbon Program.