Case IH has publicly committed to aiding the development of digital agriculture by working with others in the industry to help farmers overcome barriers of adoption to new technologies.
At a recent workshop on digitising European farming equipment – organised by EURACTIV, an independent international media network specialising in European policies – the vice president for Case IH Europe, Africa and Middle East, Thierry Panadero, spoke about how digital farming represents the natural development of what the precision farming era has begun.
Thierry Panadero, Case IH
“While precision farming has enabled farmers to more easily gather data, digital farming is now allowing them to develop the application of that data and make their businesses – and the whole industry of farming and food production – more targeted and efficient,” said Panadero.
As a leading farm equipment company, we strive to anticipate technological change. Case IH already offers technologies that play a part in this exciting new era.
“These digital technologies can help farmers to farm more sustainably, through systems such as AccuTurn, which automates headland turns and so minimises trafficked soil areas.
“They increase efficiency, through more precise use of data gathered by our Advanced Farming System terminals, to help plan applications and record yields. They can even help farming become more socially responsible, through the use of our RTK+ correction signal, with pass-to-pass accuracy of 2.5cm [to eliminate overlaps and over-application of fertiliser, seed and other inputs].
Image source: Shane Casey
“And they can ensure security of data, automating recording so that farmers have exact cost and production details at their fingertips. Buyers can then be even more confident in the produce they are purchasing.”
The workshop’s aim was to provide a clear definition of ‘Farming 4.0‘ – the description for the digital age now underway, and which has followed the eras of mechanisation, the green revolution and precision farming – and to debate the challenges and opportunities.
Discussions centred around potential solutions to overcome the barriers of adoption of such technologies, and how farm machinery manufacturers – such as Case IH – can help in the digitalisation of agriculture in Europe.
The meeting was attended by “key figures” in the industry. They included: Louis Mahy, research programme officer, Research and Innovation Unit at European Commission DG AGRI; Max Schulman, farmer and chair of the Cereals Working Party from COPA-COGECA; and Ivo Hostens, technical director, European Agricultural Machinery Industry (CEMA).
