Dear Reader,

Agritechnica, the world's leading trade fair for agricultural machinery, describes itself as the home of farming pioneers. Four years after the previous trade fair in 2019, the German Agricultural Association (DLG) as organizer will welcome around 2600 exhibitors in Hanover (Germany) from November 12 to 18, 2023 under the motto "Green Productivity." This productivity is indispensable, as agriculture is responsible for nothing less than feeding humanity. DLG themselves state that "we need long-term thinking to safeguard our food supply." The focus on a more sustainable use of resources such as soil, water, atmosphere, and species diversity therefore needs to be strengthened further. At the same time, yield and productivity need to be brought to a higher and more sustainable level. The question is: Which technologies can provide concrete help to do this?

One approach is Smart Farming, as digitization represents a huge opportunity for more sustainable agriculture. Specifically, it is all about generating added value by linking and evaluating data. Sensors are used for data acquisition that for example, in conjunction with algorithms, analyze soil characteristics, check crop density, and calculate the amounts of fertilizer or irrigation required. But sensors and software are not the end of the story. Harvests, obviously, cannot be simply downloaded. However, sowing, fertilizing, hoeing, and harvesting can be automated - the keyword here being Agribots.

The transition to autonomous field work has already begun and for many good reasons: Agribots are not only able to relieve the burden of labor-intensive work, they also mitigate the effects of a lack of workers - and they also don't take breaks. The large manufacturers of agricultural machines and many start-ups are currently working on production-ready Agribots and on systems aimed at partially and fully automating field work. What else can be expected from this technology? Numerous companies will present their solutions at the Agritechnica 2023, the home of farming pioneers, and will provide answers to important questions, such as what is possible, what will be possible, and last but not least, what has to be made possible. Because one thing is certain: The home of the agricultural economy was and always will be our planet.

Enjoy reading this edition of ATZheavyduty.

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Mathias Keiber

Responsible Editor