As Bob Reiter, head of research and development for Bayer, moves into 2023, finding new solutions for growers to feed the globe in a sustainable way stays top-of-mind.
Seed World (SW): What is your preferred digital content, audiobooks, Netflix, podcasts, etc.? Why?
Bob Reiter (BR): Actually, I am a big do-it-yourself guy so, I have become a YouTube addict. It is amazing how I can find content on almost any topic whether it is car repair, cabinetry building or how to tie a certain fishing knot (I didn’t know there were so many!).
SW: What was your first experience with agriculture?
BR: My dad grew up on a farm in Austria. It was a typical small farm in Europe where they grew and processed wheat, had an orchard and vineyard. I have fond memories spending time there harvesting cherries and helping with grain processing. Those experiences on my grandfather’s farm showed me that farming is hard work but, also that there is something magical about growing something. I guess it’s no surprise that I came around to studying plant genetics and working in agriculture. . .after all Gregor Mendel was Austrian.
Interestingly, as I started to explore career opportunities in horticulture, I met a professor who gave a talk about careers and he happened to be a plant breeder. He took me on as an undergraduate student to work on a research project and encouraged me to pursue a Ph.D. in plant breeding and plant genetics and I have never looked back.
SW: What current research project are you most excited about?
BR: There is so much farmer interest around our Smart Corn System featuring short stature corn hybrids. And I’ve never been more excited about a product launch. I truly believe this will be a game changer in corn production. Standing about one-third shorter than standard height hybrids, this technology improves standability, including better greensnap and stalk lodging tolerance, to help reduce crop loss and mitigate risk from challenging environmental conditions and extreme weather like high winds. It also gives growers season-long access with their equipment which will allow them to more precisely apply inputs like fertilizer and crop protection products. Finally, we see opportunities to boost yield potentially with higher planting densities. I am thrilled about our plans for hundreds of on-farm plots of short stature corn hybrids in North America next year and the insights we will gain for this new systems approach.
SW: What’s the most important thing to keep in mind wh¬≠en working in the R&D world?
BR: For me, the most important thing we can do as an R&D organization is to keep our farmer customers front of mind. This will not only help ensure that we’re focusing on developing solutions to their challenges, but also having a broader societal impact in helping farmers produce more with fewer resources. I am not focused on discovery for the sake of discovery. It is all about innovating with a purpose.
SW: How do you manage to keep generating new ideas for products?
BR: It has been great to be out in the field again with our customers after the last few years. The feedback we receive from our customers is invaluable and helps us inform and prioritize our research pipeline. I always feel energized when I think about the societal impact a product can bring and being out in a farmer’s field really helps bring that to life. We are fortunate at Bayer to have a big toolbox, so really it is more about our imagination. Farmers’ needs are always a source of inspiration as is our incredible team of scientists at Bayer. In fact, a group of growers recently spent time with our top 170 R&D leaders. It was a fascinating conversation and they reminded us about the different challenges they face in their operations and the ones they all share, like the need for additional flexibility and new weed control options.
SW: What are your top priorities for Bayer R&D as 2023 approaches?
BR: Our mission is to design the best solutions for growers so that they can successfully feed our planet while farming sustainably. So, our top priorities are to continue to deliver innovative products like new high-yielding seed products, new innovative chemistries and biologicals and game-changing traits like smart corn. But we won’t stop there because we need to deliver those products as solutions that help growers get the best outcome and meet the challenges of a growing population, climate change, and sustainable energy.
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