International agricultural machinery trade fair Agritechnica has had every reason to celebrate this year, having successfully topped past years’ exhibitor numbers and matching 2013’s visitor numbers of over 400,000.
The world’s largest show of its kind was held from November 10 to 14 this year at the Hanover Exhibition ground in Germany, with November 8 and 9 being exclusive preview days.
Since its conception in 1985 in Frankfurt, the bi-ennial show has gone from attracting about 125,000 visitors in its first year to having almost 450,000 show-goers, both local and international stream through its gates in 2015.
Exhibitor numbers reached an all-time high of 2,907 this year, with more than half of that number coming from outside of Germany.
Altogether, exhibitors occupied an area of almost 400,000m2 at the Hanover fairground, which is currently the world’s largest exhibition ground.
According to organiser DLG(German Agricultural Society) CEO Dr. Reinhard Grandke, the mood at the show has been more upbeat than expected, reflecting the visitors’ readiness to invest.
“According to an independent survey, more than two thirds of farmers believe their businesses are currently in a good position and they are intending to invest over the next couple of years,” he says.
Most show-goers pay Agritechnica a visit mainly to see the latest machinery and innovations on the market that could help them run their businesses more efficiently.
Before each event, exhibitors will submit a list of new products to DLG for consideration for either a gold or silver medal that serves to acknowledge the products’ potential to revolutionise the agricultural industry.
Over 300 submissions have been made this year and DLG have awarded a total of five gold and 44 silver medals to a number of companies including Fendt, John Deere, Horsch, Krone, Claas, Deutz-Fahr, Väderstad and more.
In addition to presenting the latest machinery for all to see, DLG also arranges a series of special programs at each show to ensure farmers go home with new knowledge and ideas.
“There’s a special show this year called Smart Farming – Digital Cropping which shows farmers how to use facts and figures retrieved on their farms to be more productive or efficient,” says DLG Agritechnica project manager Freya Von Czettritz.
“Agritechnica is the place to be for anyone in the farming business,” she adds.
“It’s the place to be for exhibitors on one hand, and also for visitors coming and looking for solutions.
“They might have problems on their farms or they have questions on how they can be more efficient in their businesses so they come with those questions to Agritechnica. They’re always able to find a product that helps them solve their issues, or at least an answer from someone in the industry to help solve their problems.”
A prominent trend seen at the expo this year is the increased automation of machinery that helps make farmers’ lives easier while helping them save cost and time.
Examples are Fendt’s VarioGrip Pro tyre pressure regulating system which changes tyre pressure by 1 bar within 30 seconds; John Deere’s Connected Nutrient Management and Crop Protection Systems that help farmers make quick and accurate decisions on fertiliser and chemical applications on their fields; Lemken’s automatic seed type calibration for its air seeders and much more.
“For example, what kind of data farmers can get out of their soil or machines on farm will help them be more productive in their businesses,” von Czettritz says.
“I think all the electronic innovations we see here this year shows the direction the agricultural market is heading in the future.”
Agritechnica is set to make a return in 2017 from November 14 to 18, with the preview days scheduled for November 12 and 13.
Photography: Carene Chong | Video: Carene Chong