Bayer CropScience’s Bee Care Program Promotes Honey Bee Health Awareness Through Key Industry Events

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (Jan. 7, 2014) – Bayer CropScience is starting the New Year off with a buzz by engaging in industry events with beekeepers, growers and researchers across the country. Through these events, the Company hopes to enhance understanding of bee health and increase awareness around the significant role pollinators play in sustainable agriculture.

The Bayer Bee Care Program is participating in several events focusing on the importance of bee health this month, including the North American Beekeeping Conference and Tradeshow (ABF) in Baton Rouge, La.; the American Honey Producers Association’s 45th Annual Convention (AHPA) in San Antonio, Texas; the American Beekeeping Research Conference (ABRC) in San Antonio, Texas; the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Ga,; and the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans, La.

At each event, Bayer will further communication around bee health though various initiatives, including:

• Discussion on the complex issues affecting bee health by Dick Rogers, Bayer’s bee expert, during the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference;

• Exhibits and information on the vital role honey bees play in agriculture and our food supply at ABF;

• Presentation by Iain Kelly, Bee Health product and safety manager, on “Bees and the Crop Protection Industry: Our Common Interests,” during AHPA; and

• Dissemination of materials and engagement with stakeholders to promote best stewardship practices among growers at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

Bayer has been actively involved in finding solutions to improve honey bee health for more than 25 years. Its Bee Care Program is committed to initiatives designed to advance bee health research, engagement and discussion and bring Bayer’s extensive experience and knowledge in bee health under one platform. As part of that commitment, Bayer participated in more than 100 events throughout 2013 to help improve bee health awareness – from scientific research symposiums to farm tradeshow demonstrations, including the following activities:

• Broke ground on a new North American Bee Care Center, a state-of-the-art facility to advance honey bee research, education and collaboration, which opens in 2014 at Bayer’s Research Triangle Park, N.C. headquarters;

• Opened a new Bee Care Field Research Facility in Clayton, N.C., to support the research apiary and work in tandem with broad honey bee health initiatives;

• Traveled more than 2,000 miles and interacted with more than 2,300 individuals in its Bee Care Tour, a mobile exhibit which visited six Midwestern universities to foster education and collaboration on bee health;

• Trained more than 300 employees as Bee Ambassadors, a field staff training campaign dedicated to cultivating dialogue and awareness around topics related to honey bee management and health; and

• Hosted employee, community and Congressional events to increase awareness of pollinator health, as part of National Pollinator Week, including the planting of a bee-friendly garden near Bayer’s Kansas City facility and the establishment of the inaugural Bayer Bee Care Community Leadership Award.

Bayer is dedicated to crop protection and is committed to environmental stewardship and sustainable agricultural practices, including the protection of beneficial insects such as honey bees.

For additional information and background on other sustainability initiatives please visit http://www.bayercropscience.us/our-commitment/bayer-initiatives. You can also follow and share with us on Twitter @BayerBeeCare, on Facebook at facebook.com/BayerBeeCareCenter and view photos on Flickr.

Bayer CropScience Twitter Page:
http://twitter.com/bayer4cropsus

Bayer CropScience Blog:
http://connect.bayercropscience.us

Bayer CropScience 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 CropScience representative, or visit Bayer CropScience online at www.bayercropscience.us.

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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 8,383 million (2012) 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 20,800 (Dec 31, 2012) and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.

Contact:

Bayer CropScience Media Hotline, 1-877-879-6162, or

Beth Roden
Director of Communications & Bayer CropScience NA Coordinator
Bayer CropScience
Tel: (919) 549-2030
Email: beth(dot)roden(at)bayer(dot)com

Catharine Montgomery
Porter Novelli
Tel: (404) 995-4521
Email: catharine(dot)montgomery(at)porternovelli(dot)com

USA-BCS-2014-0004

Find more information at www.bayercropscience.us.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments