If there’s one thing we know about today’s agriculture industry, it’s that science matters. Now Bayer and 4-H are deepening their commitment to that idea.
The two organizations have announced a nationwide collaboration, called Science Matters, which will address the need for an enhanced STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce by planting a love of scientific exploration in thousands of youth in urban and rural areas across the country.
Science Matters will leverage Bayer’s more than 150 years of scientific breakthroughs and 4-H’s century of hands-on learning to equip more than 25,000 youth with tools and support they need to deepen their understanding of science.
“Advancing health and nutrition is what we do best and care about most at Bayer,” said Ray Kerins, Bayer’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and a former 4-H’er. “We can’t do that unless we grow tomorrow’s innovators today and fill the critical pipeline of future STEM leaders—not only for agriculture, which is increasingly technologically-driven, but for all STEM-related fields. Bayer sees this as a sacred responsibility and we’re proud to work with 4-H, a first-class organization that shares this vision,” he said.
Science Matters will bring together 4-H leaders with Bayer employees to work alongside young people demonstrating why science matters to all of us. In addition, Bayer will sponsor the 4-H Agri-Science Summit in Washington, D.C., where students will learn about modern agriculture, careers in agriculture and gain more than 30 hours of hands-on learning and problem-solving experience. Bayer will also provide as many as 200 scholarships and offer community grants to extend the program’s impact. And Bayer’s continued sponsorship of the 4-H Youth in Action Award will add yet another dimension to Science Matters.
