Q: Where do you see the strengths of Bayer’s consulting services and how important is a comprehensive, outcome-driven approach?
A: At Bayer, we have been thinking holistically in terms of integrated cultivation systems for a long time. The focus is not on the individual product, but on its relevance in the agronomic concept of a farm. Customers who receive advice from Bayer can expect added value for their individual business success. Our customer teams therefore do not limit themselves to selective product recommendations, but focus on the integrated Bayer portfolio, i.e. crop protection, varieties and digital tools, as well as agronomic measures of a general nature that align with this. One example of this is recommendations for spraying sequences, in which competitor products are also incorporated if they help to ensure overall success. This has long been standard practice in special crops, but we also need this open view in arable crops such as potatoes. In the end, the customer measures us by our overall success and not by the effect of individual products.
Q: Which cultivation systems are best suited to ensure success in agriculture?
A: As described above, the integrated approach also applies here. The primary goal for agriculture, and therefore also for us, is to achieve sufficient yields while at the same time conserving natural resources. Agriculture is under pressure and has to meet many challenges. The concept of regenerative agriculture, which places soil health at the centre and strengthens the climate resilience of cultivation systems, offers the best answers to this. Soil-conserving and erosion-reducing tillage methods have a particularly positive effect. Regenerative agriculture is open to methods of any kind, e.g. organic or conventional, as it is the goal and not the way to get there that is decisive. The basis for this is innovation. Our investments in research and development are the highest in this sector.
Q: Achieving these goals also requires a “different kind of research in plant protection”. What goals are you pursuing with the new research approach, what should change?
A: We invest heavily in research and development in order to use the latest technology to continuously improve our product portfolio in crop protection, also in terms of environmental impact. We are currently investing 220 million euros in this area at the Monheim site. This documents the great importance of future-orientated crop protection. CropKey technology is currently a key approach here. CropKey makes it possible to analyse the metabolism of target organisms using computer-aided target recognition and to identify ideal intervention points. AI-based molecules are then specifically “designed” for these intervention points that fit like a key in a lock. New security assessments make it possible to simulate registration studies in miniature models. With this approach, the safety profile for new active ingredients can be tested in advance, making research and development more efficient and the use of crop protection products safer in the long term. What we need now are modern and legally secure regulatory procedures that incorporate today’s digital possibilities. Not only do we have a far greater amount of data on products that has already been scrutinised by the authorities, but also models that can use this data to make predictions about the safety of specific applications.
Q: Measuring success increasingly requires digital measurement methods using drones or satellites. To be able to analyse this data in the interests of the customer, what conditions need to be created for data collection and analysis, e.g. in a cloud?
A: The digitalization of agriculture is the central building block for promoting productivity and sustainability in agriculture. The possibilities of our digital platform FieldView, for example, go far beyond pure mapping and documentation. A wide range of data can be linked together on the digital level, resulting in specific recommendations. Agricultural machinery from a “colourful” machine fleet can be easily linked together. Specifically, digital tools help agricultural businesses to set the optimum intensity of operating resources and optimise their operating processes. In combination with the choice of variety, effective and economically sensible fertilisation and crop protection measures can be implemented, according to the vegetation cycle of the crops and the expected yields.