Let us thank in the most heartfelt way all those who visited the stand of the Czech company Agdata during the 47th international agrosalon Earth Breadwinner, presenting the latest trends in the digitization of agriculture. For those of you who did not make it to Budějovice, South Bohemian, due to this year's complicated harvest, we have a short summary and a look back at several photographs that will take you to the exhibition grounds for a while and introduce its unique atmosphere.
Intelligent GPS telematics automatically recognizes the specific work and operation of agricultural machines, modern wireless sensors for monitoring current weather in the field, and an online information system for automatic keeping of all agronomic records, real estate management or inventory. Agdata's technology was presented to most passers-by, and Agdata expert consultants answered factual questions from farmers as well as farm leaders and professionals.
"We are glad that this year we were able to organize our presentation on Earth to the Breadwinner. As little boys, my parents and I visited this exhibition regularly and we are all the more pleased that after many years we can present a platform Agdata.cz including most sensors. Thanks to it, Czech and Slovak farmers have their farms under their thumb" are summed up in the introduction by brothers and co-organizers Agdata Jiří and Lukáš Musil.
"Many farmers have asked how we can help them with the growing administration regarding fertilization with farm and mineral fertilizers or plant protection spray applications. Our information system is connected not only to LPIS and the land register, but also to registers of all cho plant health products. Thanks to this, it is able to monitor both the relevant protection zones and the nitrate directive and other restrictions, while keeping their stock records. Thus, the agronomism, mechanizer or operations manager writes everything down only once, has freer hands and can devote more time to field work or people management"; commented on frequently asked questions from interested parties Adéla Pechová, who is in charge of customer service of Agdata users. Those interested were also pleased that our system includes quality map data and tools dealing with the adjustment of the size of fields or their division, solving sowings or, in general, the issue of sowing plans.
The practical use of GPS technology is explained by Agdata business consultant David Klement; "Our GPS can distinguish exactly which equipment is pulling the tractor, whether it is in a field, on a farm or at a crossing, but also what work it does, who drives it and how it treats the machine. The executive or staff then monitors everything on their mobile phone screen or computer screen, so they check everything faster without having to make any phone calls at all times. When it is necessary to prepare green diesel reports, a logbook or an overview of the use of mileage machines, farmed hectares or motor hours worked, everything is available in a few clicks". Some interested parties were concerned that the purchase of tracking equipment would not be very expensive and that the entire fleet would not need to be deployed. "Just install the busiest machines, whether it's the newest tractor or a 20-year-old machine – we're trying to meet everyone's needs"; adds David Klement.
Last year was marked by the coronavirus pandemic and often critical staff shortages, the official reduction of the maximum area of one crop and, above all, highly variable and rainy weather. Farmers across Central Europe have already faced difficulties in setting up winters last year, with rains complicating spring work and the first forage harvests and, in particular, the still-ongoing grain harvest. All this placed considerable demands on fast decision-making in traffic management. Agdata has therefore significantly expanded the network of meteostanics, thanks to which the management of many companies was able to respond more quickly to the variability of precipitation on the individual premises where the company farms. The advantages of using our sensors were illustrated by the head of agdata's technical department, Monika Kadlecová. "Our meteostanices are completely wireless and can be placed virtually anywhere, so users have quick information on the current precipitation, temperature, humidity and air pressure, as well as wind direction and speed on their smartphone. We can predict the occurrence of pests in specific crops, while continuously supplementing prediction models according to the requirements of our clients. Similarly, grain sensors monitoring the humidityand temperature of stored crops in warehouses work similarly, with automatic notification in the form of SMS or e-mail, thanks to which the company better monitors the occurrence of various pests or funiness that could destroy or destroy the crop" . Needless to say, this year places unprecedented demands on cleaning, drying and storing crops.
However, it was not only farmers who visited the Agdata stand. "We have met many of our business partners here, whether they are suppliers of part software solutions, agricultural equipment manufacturers, subsidy brokers or insurance services for agricultural companies"; explains another of the company's sales representatives, Daniel Vydra, referring to the fact that Agdata has established cooperation with, among others, the insurance brokerage company Renomia and the consulting firm Grantex, which facilitates subsidies to agricultural companies. "We were surprised by the interest in modern technologies from agricultural school students as well as in special air quality monitoring sensors for municipalities and cities supplied by our sister division AgdataCity".
"Compared to previous years, there is a growing interest in technologies of so-called precision agriculture. Our clients face the rising cost of their inputs, while at the same time higher regulation and limitation of maximum doses of fertilizers or applications of plant protection products. For them, too, we have an available solution in the form of satellite imagery of individual fields, which will quickly show the state of the crop and its development in real time"; explains another of the company's professional consultants, Matěj Pomahač. "Our software will then prepare an application map based on these images and the agronomist will decide at its own discretion and professional procedure where to limit and where to add a dose of the relevant fertilizer. This saves costs and increases revenues for the company."
Last but not least, agdata was a great opportunity for the Agdata team to meet in a personal way with a number of our long-term clients, share practical examples and collect feedback and recommendations to improve individual features and components of our system. We thank you for these nice meetings and look forward to the next one – whether at the next years of The Breadwinner, in the coming days you will also find us on Farmer's Day in Kamen or at the Techagro spring fair in Brno.
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Matěj Pomahač, consultant Agdata.cz