DLG e.V.

• Winner Trophy

The DLG innovation award scheme recognizes visionary agricultural machinery concepts– five winners to be honored at Agritechnica on 14 November 2023, 12 noon at DLG stand in Hall 24, stand A06

(DLG). The DLG (German Agricultural Society) has today announced the five winners of its innovation award scheme “DLG-Agrifuture Concept Winner”, which recognizes pioneering achievements and visions for the future in agricultural technology. From a shortlist of 10 candidates, the jury selected the five winners, who will be honored at the official award ceremony held at Agritechnica on 14 November, 12 noon at the DLG stand in hall 24, stand A06.

The winning concepts were determined by online voting by selected national and international experts from a shortlist of ten concepts. This list, in turn, was drawn up by an independent jury appointed by the DLG , the organizer of Agritechnica, the leading agricultural machinery trade fair taking place in Hanover, Germany, 12-18 November 2023.

“With the ‘DLG-Agrifuture Concept Winner’ award, the DLG actively supports forward-looking ideas that point the way to the global crop production of the future with a time horizon of five to ten years. The award therefore explores the medium-term technical possibilities and highlights concepts with realistic chances of implementation,” said Florian Schiller, project manager of DLG’s digital agriculture, International DLG Crop Production Center.

Non-profit and founded on the principles of furthering agricultural knowledge across borders through exhibitions, professional knowledge, a demonstration farm, machinery test center and networking, the DLG launched the award scheme in 2021.

DLG-Agrifuture Concept Winners 2023:

Concept: Dual.Volt.24M
Company: crop.zone GmbH
Hall 25, stand H23
in cooperation with John Deere Walldorf GmbH & Co. KG (Hall 13, stand C44)

Dual.Volt.24M uses the electric-hybrid herbicide technology for crop treatment without non-selective herbicides. It is a combination with a broadcast and band spraying system for sustainable high efficiency. The 24 meter working width and adaptive applicators enable desiccation, intercrop and weed control as well as camera-controlled inter-row treatment that flexibly adapts to different row spacing and plant sizes.

Concept: FENDT + Lauwen E-Vario Weeder
Company: Fendt AGCO GmbH
Hall 20, stand B39

Fendt’s E-Vario weeder concept presents a weeder that is optimized for combining with an electrically powered tractor.

The weeder incorporates electrically driven weeding modules that optimise power consumption. The modular set-up enables easy adaption to multiple farming conditions and crops.

AI-based plant and weed detection and two cameras for monitoring the process establish the foundation for full autonomy.

Concept: AgTech CoPilot – a smart ‘plug-in’ infrastructure for hybrid farm technology
Institutions: Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture
Hall 24, stand A24
in cooperation with Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel (Hall 24, stand C19) and FuE Zentrum FH Kiel GmbH (Hall 24, stand E10)

AgTech CoPilot, an intelligent architecture for hybrid agricultural machinery, is a novel system that integrates tractors, drones and robots into a collaborative network. It is the embodiment of precision farming, ensuring efficient and sustainable agriculture. The innovation lies in the system’s ability to enable seamless interaction between these technologies, optimising their usage.

Concept: Multi-crop cultivation with NEXAT plant production system
Company: NEXAT
Hall 3, stand C04

In multi-cropping, several plant species are grown simultaneously in the same field. Different plants with different growing and harvesting times are combined. This method offers various crop production advantages. The NEXAT crop production system enables the technical and economical implementation of multi-cropping.

Concept: ISO FARM RESEARCH (IFR)
Company: AMAZONEN-WERKE H. DREYER SE & Co. KG
Hall 9, stand C30
in cooperation with AgDoIT GmbH i.G. (9/C30) and EXAgT GmbH (25/B14)

ISO Farm Research (IFR) is a new and innovative digital system for automating and boosting on-farm research based on the ISOBUS standard. Planning and the establishment of new experiments and measurement trials will become more user-friendly and safer with this new technology so that more knowledge and insights can be ‘harvested’ in agricultural practice.

The five winners with pictures alongside all 10 shortlisted candidates are available here

About the DLG:

With over 30,000 members today, DLG is a politically independent and non-profit society with membership open to all. Drawing on an international network of experts in food and agriculture as well as subsidiary companies in nine countries, the DLG organizes over 30 regional arable and livestock exhibitions worldwide, in addition to its leading international trade fairs, EuroTier for livestock equipment, and Agritechnica for agricultural crop machinery, each taking place biennially in Hanover, Germany.

Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, DLG carries out practical trials and tests to inform its members of new advancements. DLG’s International Crop Production Center, a 600-hectare site located in Bernburg-Strenzfeld, Germany, conducts plot trials on crop rotations, cultivation and irrigation, as well as performing practical machinery tests and hosting outdoor shows and demonstrations.

DLG houses Europe’s largest test centre for agricultural machinery “DLG Test Center for Technology and Farm Inputs” which is located at Gross-Umstadt, Germany. DLG bridges the gap between theory and practice ,as evidenced by over 40 working groups consisting of farmers, academics, farm equipment companies and organisations continually comparing advancement in knowledge in specific areas such as irrigation and precision farming.