Protect Corn Yields with Bayer the Watch 2025

May 06, 2025
By Farms.com

Free Bayer Program Helps Farmers Tackle Corn Rootworm Early

Bayer is stepping up efforts to help farmers guard their corn crops from corn rootworm with the 2025 edition of The Watch. This program provides practical solutions to fight one of the most destructive pests in U.S. corn farming.

The Watch offers a free Corn Rootworm Pressure Starter Kit until July 7, which includes sticky traps to monitor beetle activity. Farmers also receive expert insights, data updates, and educational tools to understand and manage corn rootworm.

“Corn rootworm is a yield-robbing pest that attacks at every stage of its life cycle — from larvae feeding on roots underground to adult beetles above ground,” said Safeer Hassan, Bayer technical product lead for corn traits.

Early detection is key, as there are no effective rescue treatments once the pest is active. Bayer’s program encourages farmers to track rootworm activity and adjust crop management strategies accordingly.

Farmers can also participate in Bayer’s #RootwormWatch contest by sharing a trap photo on Facebook or X by August 20. Tag @BayerTraits and include hashtags #RootwormWatch and #sweepstakes to enter for a chance to win a portable cooler.

Key dates:

June 1–7 - Corn Rootworm Week on Bayer’s social media

July 7 - Last day to request a free kit

August 20 - Contest entry deadline

For high rootworm pressure areas, Bayer recommends SmartStax® PRO, and for broader insect protection, VT4PRO™ with RNAi Technology offers an alternative.

Bayer’s goal is to help farmers make proactive, informed decisions that boost yield and sustainability. Learn more and join the initiative at traits.bayer.com/thewatch.

Photo Credit: Bayer Crop Science

Video: New research chair appointed to accelerate crop variety development

Funded by Sask Wheat, the Wheat Pre-Breeding Chair position was established to enhance cereal research breeding and training activities in the USask Crop Development Centre (CDC) by accelerating variety development through applied genomics and pre-breeding strategies.

“As the research chair, Dr. Valentyna Klymiuk will design and deploy leading-edge strategies and technologies to assess genetic diversity for delivery into new crop varieties that will benefit Saskatchewan producers and the agricultural industry,” said Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn (PhD), dean of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at USask. “We are grateful to Sask Wheat for investing in USask research as we work to develop the innovative products that strengthen global food security.”

With a primary focus on wheat, Klymiuk’s research will connect discovery research, gene bank exploration, genomics, and breeding to translate gene discovery into improved varieties for Saskatchewan’s growing conditions.