Bayer Launches New Seed Flow Lubricant

Feb 26, 2014

Fluency Agent to Reduce Bee Risk at Planting

Bayer CropScience announced Wednesday, that it has created a brand-new product to be used when planting neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds.

As of this month, the product is commercially available to growers.

The news release said that flow lubricants are required by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency during the 2014 planting season with neonicotinoid-treated seeds.

Called Fluency Agent, it aims to reduce dust from treated seeds during the planting process.

“The introduction of Fluency Agent is our latest contribution to improve honey bee health in Canada,” Paul Thiel, VP Innovation and Public Affairs, Bayer CropScience said in a release.

Fluency Agent was tested in large-scale field studies in spring 2012 across North America, including 13,000 acres Ontario and Quebec, according to the news release.

The company said that a 400g container of the product treats about 50 bags of seed, is enough seed to plant 125 acres of corn. It costs $23.99 per container.

Bayer has a division of its company devoted to bee health research.

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.