Kroger Joins Campaign; Teams up with Bayer to Launch First-Ever Farm Tour 2022 Sweepstakes, In-Store Displays and More

Bayer Returns to Five-Time Entertainer of the Year’s Annual Farm Tour as Presenting Sponsor; Together with Kroger Asks Fans to Share #HeresToTheFarmer Hashtag on Social Media to Support Feeding America^®, the Nation’s Largest Domestic Hunger-Relief Organization

Bayer today announced it is renewing its multi-year partnership with five-time entertainer of the year Luke Bryan, joining his 2022 Farm Tour as presenting sponsor and continuing their Here's to the Farmer campaign celebrating America’s farmers and fighting hunger. New this year, Kroger, America’s largest grocer, joins the campaign offering the first-ever Farm Tour 2022 sweepstakes, giving fans across the country the chance to win a Luke Bryan VIP experience, tickets, swag and more. Together Bayer, Kroger and Luke Bryan are encouraging fans to share the hashtag #HeresToTheFarmer on their social media channels. Now through October 31, 2022, for every share, Bayer will help provide one meal* through the Feeding America network, up to 1 million meals to communities in need.*

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Bayer and Luke Bryan Continue Partnership to Celebrate America’s Farmers and Fight Hunger with #HeresToTheFarmer Campaign (Graphic: Business Wire)

The son of a peanut farmer from Georgia, Bryan launched his Farm Tour in 2009 to highlight and celebrate the contributions of America's farmers. The Georgia native will set up stages in the fields of local farmers across six states this September 15-24, with tickets now on sale at LukeBryan.com.

“I grew up around farming and know the tough work, passion, and grit you need to be an American farmer,” said Luke Bryan. “They play an incredibly important role in all our lives. That’s why I’m excited to again team up with my friends at Bayer to say ‘Here’s to the Farmer’ and give thanks for the work they do to make sure we all have food on the table, and give back to communities around the country.”

In 2015, Bayer partnered with Luke Bryan and launched its campaign to thank farmers and help fight hunger throughout the country.

“We are excited to continue our commitment to this important campaign and partnership with Luke Bryan and recognize the hard work and dedication from U.S. farmers to feed America and the world,” said Beth Roden, Senior Vice President and Head of U.S. Communications for Bayer U.S. “#HerestotheFarmer reinforces the vital role that farmers and food banks play in addressing food insecurity by feeding people in need in the U.S. – especially in rural communities. Through Bayer’s vision of Health for All, Hunger for None, and together, with Kroger, we’re striving to raise even more awareness of the critical issue of food insecurity and ensure more Americans have access to healthy food, all while thanking the ones who work so hard to provide for us.”

As one of the founding members of Feeding America, the Kroger Family of Companies are proud to collaborate with Bayer and Luke Bryan as they help provide meals to families across the U.S. As part of the #HerestotheFarmer campaign, Kroger will feature in-store signage and the first-ever Farm Tour Sweepstakes. The contest gives fans the chance to win one Grand Prize Luke Bryan VIP experience that includes two VIP tickets to a select Luke Bryan Farm Tour concert, a 3-day/2-night hotel stay, round-trip flights and more. In addition, 100 lucky secondary prize winners will receive Luke Bryan Farm Tour items including branded t-shirts, swag, autographed hats, photos and more.

“At Kroger, we believe Fresh starts with farmers. Farmers play a key role in keeping the freshest products on our shelves,” said Dan De La Rosa, Group Vice President, Fresh Merchandising, for Kroger. “That’s why we work with farmers who grow only the best to source locally and bring customers better, fresher options time and again. We’re honored to share our appreciation for farmers during the Luke Bryan Farm Tour, and we applaud Bayer’s support for the Feeding America network of food banks, who help people facing hunger every day. Aligned with Kroger’s commitment to creating a world with Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, we are excited to see Bayer and Luke Bryan shining a light on equitable food access during their #HerestotheFarmer tour.”

From now through July 2022, fans can go to www.herestothefarmersweepstakes.com and complete the online entry form by providing their email address. Once registered, they will automatically receive one entry in the sweepstakes. The grand prize winner and secondary prize winners will be selected in July 2022.

Since the inception of the #HerestotheFarmer campaign and partnership, nearly 5 million meals have been provided to Feeding America and more than $180,000 has been donated to Feeding America member food banks and local farmers at each of the tour cities.

“No one should have to worry about where they will find their next meal, but more than 38 million people, including 12 million children, face hunger in America. We are thankful to Luke Bryan, Bayer and Kroger for raising awareness of this issue and for their commitment to helping neighbors in need,” said Lauren Biedron, vice president of corporate partnerships at Feeding America. “Through the Here’s to the Farmer campaign, we hope people across the country will join together, contribute and help fight hunger in their communities.”

To learn more about Bayer's Here's To The Farmer campaign visit go.bayer.com/herestothefarmer.

Dates and locations for the tour include:

FARM TOUR 2022

9/15 Monroeville, IN – Highland Farms

9/16 Mechanicsburg, OH – SpringFork Farms

9/17 Fowlerville, MI – Kubiak Family Farms

9/22 Murdock, NE – Stock Hay & Grain Farm

9/23 Boone, IA – Ziel Farm

9/24 Eyota, MN – Gar-Lin Dairy

For details on show locations and tickets, visit http://www.lukebryan.com/farm-tour.

*$1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks. From 06/15/2022 to 10/31/2022, Bayer guarantees the financial equivalent of up to 1,000,000 meals ($100,000) in conjunction with the promotion.

About Bayer

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 help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.us or visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Luke Bryan

Since his debut, Bryan has garnered 29 No. 1 hits and has more RIAA certified digital singles than any other Country artist with 68.5 million. His worldwide global streams are 17.2 billion and he has sold nearly 13 million albums. His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for 12 million fans inclusive of 36 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and seven sold-out ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events. He launched his “Raised Up Right Tour” last week. Bryan has won over 50 major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. His third and most recent Entertainer win was awarded by the Academy of Country Music in 2021. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards—as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the Most Heard Artist of the Decade by Country Aircheck, and the Artist Humanitarian Recipient by the Country Radio Broadcasters last year. Luke, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie just wrapped their fifth season as celebrity judges on ABC’s American Idol.

On June 9, Luke kicked off his “Raised Up Right Tour” scheduled to run through October with opening guests Riley Green, Mitchell Tenpenny and DJ Rock. Visit LukeBryan.com, and connect with him on his social channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site. Visit Kroger on Facebook or follow us on Twitter or Instagram.

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