Agritechnica has once again confirmed its role as the leading platform for the latest developments in agricultural technology. The presence of smart farming and data management solutions was particularly noticeable this year, not only in Halls 8 and 9, but also on the booths of the agricultural machinery manufacturers.
The interest of visitors, especially farmers and contractors, was clearly noticeable. However, it also became clear that many farms need support in selecting and commissioning these technologies. Automatic or automated documentation is required by both farmers and contractors, but the necessary telemetry data is often not available. Independent hardware manufacturers offer retrofit solutions for this.
Many farms are still at the beginning of their digital journey. There are three main reasons why farms should look into smart farming technologies: to optimize their own farm management, to meet the documentation requirements of subsidy providers, or to meet future requirements of the food industry and retail, especially in terms of sustainability credentials.
Farmers primarily use smart farming technologies when they recognize a clear added value, especially financially. In Germany, subsidies are currently still available without digital documentation - unlike in countries such as Denmark, where the use of smart farming technologies is already more widespread.
The presence of companies from China in the smart farming sector was also striking, with products such as steering systems and drones on display. There was great interest in spot spraying, which offers great potential for saving on operating resources. A popular and more cost-effective variant is drone overflight with a subsequent prescription map for a crop protection sprayer with individual nozzle control.
It is also interesting to note that sowing or fertilizer prescription maps can not only increase the yield, but also the energy content of crops - in the case of corn, for example, by up to 10 %.
The overall mood among agricultural equipment manufacturers was positive, driven by strong demand, although there was a slight sense of uncertainty about the coming year. By contrast, the mood among suppliers of smart farming technologies was rather subdued, which could be due to the challenges mentioned above.
The live demonstrations at the DLG Spotlight Smart Farming were well attended and met with great interest. The DLG Spotlight Smart Farming concept was successful, although the position of the stand is to be optimized for future events such as Agritechnica 2025 and DLG-Feldtage 2024.
In addition, other machinery and software manufacturers have found out about the agrirouter and see a great advantage in using this initiative, which they would like to join.
Overall, Agritechnica shows that the agricultural sector is on its way to a more digital and efficient future, with both opportunities and challenges.