Bayer Seed-Production Upgrade in Hawaii Shows Commitment to Future 

Generations of families on and off the island benefit from new facilities, technology

Molokai, HI (Feb. 8, 2021) – Bayer Crop Science announced today a multimillion-dollar seed-production facility purchase on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, demonstrating an all-in approach to innovation in agriculture.  

The new facilities upgrade Bayer’s already state-of-the-art seed production processes, allowing Bayer to bring more advanced, high quality seed to market even more efficiently and reliably.  

“Bayer is driven by innovation and that’s more critical than ever for farmers,” says Bart Lofton, Bayer Regional Lead. “This investment reaffirms our commitment to sustainable, modern corn-seed production and sends a strong signal to everyone from the Corn Belt to our workforce on Molokai that we are investing in their future.”  

Bayer’s commitment in the Molokai seed-production facility is twofold. The infrastructure will allow for more seamless and effective operations than ever before, bringing the two facilities closer together and adding efficiencies in the multiple corn-production cycles that happen annually on the island. The purchase also takes into consideration the farm workers on site who will have easier access to facilities in the tropical climate and major reductions in on-road transfers of equipment. 

“In many ways, the island of Molokai is like a small town you’d find in the rural Midwest, with a total population of around 7,000 people,” says Lofton. “We’ve seen multiple generations of farmers in the U.S. mainland grow seeds that were produced and managed by generations of Bayer employees on Molokai. The two have much in common, including a commitment to innovation, community pride and a love of the land. This investment shows how much the relationships on both ends of the corn-production spectrum mean to us at Bayer.”  

Bayer’s work on Molokai has a storied history. It was the first seed company to establish corn-seed production on the island and is the only one remaining today. Bayer employs more than 60 people on Molokai, making it one of the island’s largest private employers. After the purchase on January 22, Bayer has begun transition planning to have the facility fully operational in the next two years. 

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Bayer: Science for a Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. 

Contact: 
Bayer – Monica Ivey, 808-372-4778 Monica.Ivey@bayer.com