News Life Sciences We have ignition: Bayer reaping benefits of increased capacity in Muskegon
We have ignition: Bayer reaping benefits of increased capacity in Muskegon
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Bayer CropScience Maintenance Manager Wayne Goddard stands between the laboratory and the main manufacturing plant on the company’s sprawling 400 acre site in Muskegon Township. Bayer CropScience is a leading manufacturer of crop production products for the agriculture industry. PHOTO: CHAD LERCH |
By Chad D. Lerch | LabWork
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MUSKEGON COUNTY — The success of the Ignite herbicide produced by Bayer CropScience in Muskegon Township is creating opportunities for the company to grow its market share while helping farmers across the country to do the same.
A year after completing a $15 million expansion to its manufacturing plant on 400 acres in Muskegon County, Bayer CropScience officials told LabWork that demand is increasing for its Ignite herbicide and that reaction from farmers has been overwhelmingly positive.
Harold Lofton, site leader of the Muskegon Township plant, has been with the company since 1979. He shifted to Muskegon in 2009, a time when the company was in the midst of a major plant expansion that included new machinery to help increase production capacity for crop production products, including Ignite.
The expansion added 15,000 square feet, giving the company 37,000 total square feet on the sprawling grounds. The expansion hardly put a dent in the company’s 400 acres in Muskegon County, of which the company is now using 25 acres, Lofton said.
The company hired 10 new employees during the expansion.
Lofton said the project was needed to meet market demand and includes equipment for its main chemical production processes for the Ignite herbicide. The project also included space for future expansion.
“Right now, we anticipate at some point we’ll need the space to expand, but it’s really unclear when,” Lofton said.
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Steve Urban, senior lab technician at Bayer CropScience in Muskegon Township, holds a sample test bottle of the company’s Ignite herbicide weed killer. The product allows farmers to kill weeds without damaging crops that use genetically engineered seeds that are resistent to the herbicide. Ignite herbicide is made in the Muskegon County plant. PHOTO: CHAD LERCH |
The Ignite herbicide works with Bayer’s LibertyLink seeds, which are genetically engineered to be tolerant of the herbicide. Company officials say Ignite — which gets its name because it “burns” weeds — is highly effective in the fight against broadleaf and grass weeds, killing them in days instead of weeks.
Specifically, Ignite is used in the production of corn, cotton, canola and, most recently, soybeans. Because LibertyLink seeds are not damaged by Ignite, farmers are able to spread the weed management product without fear of harming their livelihoods, company officials said.
It is produced and distributed in liquid form and is sprayed by farmers, company officials said. Ignite can be used “in season” without interrupting farming processes. Meanwhile, the roots of the affected weeds remain in the ground, which helps to prevent soil erosion, Lofton said.
Large corporate farms to small family farms in the United States use Bayer CropScience products, including Ignite.
“Farmers really like our products,” Lofton said.
The company previously produced the product under the name Liberty, but production in Muskegon halted in 2000 after concerns were raised about genetically engineered crops, especially in Europe.
Concerns have since subsided and production of the product has been well received by agricultural customers, many of whom sell their crops to be used in bio-fuels. Business is booming for Bayer CropScience, company officials said, and demand for Ignite has never been higher.
Bayer has three main divisions: healthcare, which includes diagnostic machines and aspirin; material science, which focuses on plastics and coatings; and crop science. While each division is owned by Bayer, they are run separately.
Bayer CropScience has 60 employees in Muskegon Township. The plant at 1740 Whitehall Road is just north of West Giles Road and is nestled inside of a heavily wooded lot. The company has sold an adjacent parcel to the fellow-German-based fortu PowerCell. That company will make batteries for electric vehicles.
Fortu has said it plans to invest more than $600 million in a Muskegon Township plant, which will be located in the new Bayer Industrial Park. The company has plans to employ 700 or more.
Bayer has plenty of competition in the bioscience field, including Dupont. But Lofton said it’s Bayer CropScience’s dedication to meeting the needs of farmers that separates his company from the competition.
“We spend heavily on research and work closely with the farmers to determine how our products can do more for them,” Lofton said. Products made in Muskegon are sold through a nationwide distribution network.
Lofton said Bayer CropScience enjoys working in West Michigan. He said the company is proud to be involved with the United Way and the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bayer CropScience also allows the local fire department to conduct training exercises on its property.
“It’s just a really nice community to be in,” Lofton said. “Muskegon is a nice place to work. The people here are very good workers; they’re appreciative to have good jobs. And that makes it nice to work here.” lw
