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Bayer field trials put innovation to the test and farmers in the driver’s seat

Bayer Crop Science is using field trials, digital tools and artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of new products, and farmer input is playing a critical role in the process.

Brownfield spoke with Tom Eickhoff, Agriscience Research and Insights Lead at Bayer, about how the company’s global field-testing operation is helping shape the next generation of agricultural innovation.

Eickhoff leads the team responsible for field trials around the world, covering breeding, biotechnology, genome editing, crop protection, fruits and vegetables. While technology can help predict outcomes and speed decision-making, he says field testing remains essential because innovations ultimately have to work in the real-world conditions farmers face.

Bayer conducts field trials globally, and Eickhoff says information from places such as Brazil, Germany and Australia can help inform products being developed for farmers in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. While farming systems differ around the world, many challenges -controlling weeds, insects and disease while improving yield – are shared.

Not every idea makes it to the farm. Bayer tests hundreds of thousands of genetic combinations and tens of thousands of chemistries and proteins to identify the products that ultimately move forward. Eickhoff says the failures along the way provide valuable information that helps researchers design the next generation.

And farmers are part of that design process.

Eickhoff says feedback from farmers about their challenges, opportunities and ways to simplify their operations is some of the most valuable information Bayer receives.

Field trials themselves have also changed dramatically, with automated planting, drones, geo-referenced data and digital technology allowing researchers to collect more information faster.

Eickhoff says the next decade could bring even more rapid innovation, including genome editing and Bayer’s Precion corn system, which combines genetics with digital insights and in-season support.

Listen to the full Brownfield interview with Tom Eickhoff to hear how Bayer is using field research, technology and farmer feedback to develop what comes next: