- CNH Industrial launched “AGXTEND” in Brazil, which is an innovative platform for digital agricultural solutions.
- AGXTEND™ develops and provides ground-breaking technologies that allow farmers to extend their efficiency and thereby their economic success
- CNH Industrial was ranked first in the ANPEI 2020 Conference, promoted by the National Association of Research and Development of Innovative Companies (ANPEI), in Brazil
- CNH Industrial received the award for its ConectarAGRO initiative which aims to contribute, consolidate and expand internet access for farmers in Brazil.
- The AGXTEND™products have the potential to significantly enhance the sustainability of agribusinesses.
- Precision agriculture is an approach to farming that employs data sensors, connected devices, remote control tools, and other advanced technologies to give farmers more control over the field and the team.
- Digital farming can be defined as the use of technology by farmers to integrate financial and field-level records for complete farm activity management.
CNH Industrial launched “AGXTEND” in Brazil.
CNH Industrial launched “AGXTEND” in Brazil, which is an innovative platform for digital agricultural solutions. Based on the pillars of innovation, good service and sustainability, the company is offering the best standards for all stages of the cultivation cycle, to benefit all types and profiles of farmers.
The company, which has a culture based on collaborative innovation, combined the solutions of the best companies and startups in the market to create AGXTEND’s ecosystem of proactive solutions, enabling it to incubate projects with the potential to gain scale within its range of products and services.
Through this unprecedented format in the market, AGXTEND is yet another important initiative of CNH Industrial that will enable it to become a model of offering digital, connected and intelligent products and services, which will complement the portfolio of agricultural brands Case IH and New Holland Agriculture.
In addition to CNH Industrial itself, six partners, including national and international companies, developed technologies for the platform’s initial portfolio, which are Zasso, Raven, Bosch, Agrosystem, Cropmam and BemAgro. The ten disruptive solutions to be introduced in the market include applications, components and services.
CNH Industrial’s Director of Digital Technologies for Latin America, Gregory Riordan, said AGXTEND is a new concept, as well as an innovative and disruptive technology and new business model for digital agriculture. The platform makes it possible to acquire solutions in a service format, such as the case of “XPOWER” offered by Zasso, a Brazilian company in which CNH Industrial has a minority stake. XPOWER is equipment that removes weeds by means of electric shock. As it does not use pesticides, it preserves the soil and is twenty times faster than other methods of eliminating unwanted plants.
“This is a solution that illustrates the three concepts of AGXTEND, innovation, good service and sustainability. The producer does not need to purchase the equipment, he can adhere to a service per hour or per hectare of use. In the same way, we have monitoring and management solutions based on drone images, as well as soil diagnosis, in which the customer pays for the service provided and not for the equipment. This is also an accessibility benefit, as highly technological solutions have become viable for all sizes of producers via the service modality,” he added.
“The AGXTEND portfolio is aimed at those who want access innovative solutions that deliver economic results in a more sustainable way, through products and services that increase productivity and operational efficiency, regardless of the size of their property or production volume,” said Adriano Becker, Digital Product Manager at CNH Industrial in Latin America.
OPERATE+ is a free application for managing and monitoring agricultural operations. “It is the first application that democratizes digital agriculture for small producers. It offers information free of charge that is simple and without the need for a physical interface with the machine. The application makes use of sensors that already exist on the producer’s smartphone to monitor and report on the performance of the agricultural operation, and can work completely offline when there is no connectivity,” Becker added.
AGXTEND technologies are now available from certified New Holland Agriculture and Case IH dealers throughout Brazil, along with PLM (Precision Land Management) and AFS (Advanced Farming System) solutions.
What is precision farming?
The term precision farming means a series of strategies and tools that allow farmers to optimise and increase soil quality and productivity putting in place a series of targeted key interventions, a result that can be accomplished thanks to the introduction of increasingly advanced technologies.
It is referred to as “precision” because thanks to the state-of-the-art tools used, it is possible to perform the right intervention, in the right place, at the right time, responding to the specific demands of individual crops and individual areas of land with superior levels of precision.
Technologies are used, first and foremost, to collect the data and information required to make decisions on how to boost production and secondly to put in place the necessary corrective actions to achieve this goal.
Nowadays there is increasing talk about Agriculture 4.0, which is the evolution of the precision farming concept: this term refers to all the tools and strategies that use cutting-edge technologies in an interconnected manner starting with the use of data to improve and optimise production
The advantages of precision farming:
Producing more with fewer resources whilst maintaining superior quality standards: this is the ultimate goal of precision farming.
This type of approach generates a two-fold advantage:
for farming enterprises, which can optimise efforts and resources, reduce consumption and waste, and boost land productivity. The work also becomes more profitable for farmers and contractors as the processes are managed more quickly and effectively leading to a drop in hourly costs. Last but not least, they boost performance while reducing human resource fatigue
for the environment, given that there is a reduction in waste of fertilisers and herbicides, emissions and soil compaction thanks to more rational use of resources
It is essential to remember that precision farming is a practice that is becoming increasingly urgent because of the worldwide increase in food demands, following the exponential increase in the population we have witnessed in recent decades: the number of people who will require food in 2050 is estimated at nine billion.
The increase in the production of food is therefore a key priority without, however, generating an increase in the exploitation of vital resources such as water and fertiliser. It is also essential to achieve these results without compromising the physical and chemical qualities of the soil: this is the only way to implement a sustainable food production model.
What is Digital Farming?
Digital farming is “Consistent application of the methods of precision farming and smart farming, internal and external networking of the farm and use of web-based data platforms together with Big Data analyses”, according to a paper by Direct Line Group.
Digital agriculture is the use of new and advanced technologies, integrated into one system, to enable farmers and other stakeholders within the agriculture value chain to improve food production. Most of today’s farmers make decisions such as how much fertiliser to apply based on a combination of rough measurements, experience and recommendations. Once a course of action is decided, it is implemented but the results are normally not seen until harvest time.
In contrast, a digital agriculture system gathers data more frequently and accurately, often combined with external sources (such as weather information). The resulting combined data is analysed and interpreted so the farmer can make more informed and appropriate decisions. These decisions can then be quickly implemented with greater accuracy through robotics and advanced machinery, and farmers can get real-time feedback on the impact their actions.
AGXTEND Technologies:
SOILXPLORER: A package of services developed in partnership with Cropmam that uses a set of high efficiency and precision data processing hardware and software to conduct a complete soil diagnosis, as well as deliver a map of management and compaction zones, which allows the localized control of soil compaction through DEPTHXCONTROL and the precise application of inputs. This will ensure the proactive and efficient use of inputs and operations, in addition to a more sustainable production.
DEPTHXCONTROL: In partnership with the company, Cropman, this solution delivers an automated depth control to unpack the soil at the location and depth recommended by SOILXPLORER. It can also be used to control the depth of certain implements when planting crops, such as sugarcane. In addition to providing more efficient and optimized soil preparations, it also allows uniform planting, ensuring better root development and the use of nutrients in the soil.
DEPTHXMONITOR: Developed by Raven, this is an on-implement sensor that provides real-time instructions in the machine cab for the operator, to maintain target depth throughout the entire operation. It enables subsoiling and planting activities for a more precise control of depth, ensuring the more uniform development of sugarcane and reducing the impact of stumps during harvest.
XACTPLANTING: An intelligent planting solution developed by Bosch that guarantees uniform seed distribution. It allows the individual cutting and rating control of several models of feeders on the market, through a motor installed in each row of the planter. In this way, each seed is placed in the correct spacing, even in curves, eliminating overlapping or planting failures.
XACTSPRAYER: A technology developed by Raven optimizes the spraying experience. It has a nozzle-to-nozzle control system that adjusts pressure and flow, allowing for precise application under the most diverse conditions. It also features technology that monitors and controls boom height, a direct injection system, fully integrated autopilot and a solution that allows communication between machines, ensuring synchronism and maximum efficiency in all sprayers working in the same area.
XPOWER: This solution promotes the removal of unwanted plants through electric weeding. Developed in partnership with Zasso, it is sustainable as it eliminate the need to apply chemicals, which reduces the risk to plants’ underground health. XPOWER is up to twenty times faster than other weeding methods. It can be used on any crop, is certified for use on organic crops and controls plant resistant to other weeding methods.
FARMXTEND: Developed by Agrosystem, it enables more proactive decision-making in various agricultural operations that depend on weather conditions. The monitoring of meteorological data is also done directly by a smartphone, which collects information from sensors spread across the field. It has three configurations: weather station, rain gauge or rain sensor, and soil moisture sensor. The system is plug-and-play and runs 100% on solar energy.
DRONEXPLORER: A range of services based on drone images, satellites and machinery vectors that can help in the planning, monitoring and management of crops, from soil preparation to harvesting. Reports, such as altimetry, plant population and matology, enable quick and assertive decision-making in various operations throughout the cropping cycle. As the farmer only pays for applicable hectares of service, without the need to purchase any equipment, it is an ideal solution for all sizes of producers.
RTK+: With an innovative way of transmitting the signal, through the mobile internet, this solution developed by CNH Industrial offers precision and correction of the GNSS signal, with a low investment and fast, stable and secure connection. It guarantees results regardless of the topography, and it works in any location with connectivity, even if machines are far from the network bases. It allows for simultaneous topographical and agricultural use, as well as the use of different makes of machines and operations.
OPERATE+: A free application from CNH Industrial that provides useful information on functions and performance of machines directly in the palm of your hand. With just a few touches on a smartphone screen, the farmer can start an operation and see real-time instructions on how to make it better, even in areas where there is no internet. It is accessible to all producers, democratizing access to digital farming solutions.
About AGXTEND:
AGXTEND™ is the first brand specializing in emerging precision farming and ISOBUS solutions in the agricultural industry to provide customers with comprehensive access to a range of breakthrough and dynamic precision farming solutions from strategic partner companies, shortening their time to market, and facilitating wide-scale adoption.
The AGXTEND™ products have the potential to significantly enhance the sustainability of agribusinesses through the resultant reduction in fuel consumption as well as the targeting of and eventual reduction in both fertilizer and crop protection products. Furthermore, the commercialization of innovative zero-chemical weed control through the precision use of electric pulses will substantially reduce a farm’s environmental impact by providing an effective and more sustainable alternative to agrochemicals.
About CNH Industrial
CNH Industrial N.V. is an American-Italian multinational corporationwith global headquarters in Basildon, United Kingdom but controlled and mostly owned by the Dutch-Italian investment company Exor, which in turn is controlled by the Agnelli family. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and on Borsa Italiana: it is a constituent of the FTSE MIB index. The company is incorporated in the Netherlands. The seat of the company is in Amsterdam, Netherlands with a principal office in London, England.
Through its various businesses, CNH Industrial designs, produces, and sells agricultural machinery and construction equipment (Case IH and New Holland brand families), trucks, commercial vehicles, buses, and special vehicles (Iveco), in addition to powertrains for industrial and marine applications (FPT Industrial). Present in all major markets worldwide, CNH Industrial is focused on expanding its presence in high-growth markets, including through joint ventures. CNH Industrial currently employs more than 63,000 people in 67 manufacturing plants and 56 research and development centers. The company operates across 180 countries.
