A clear digitalization push is sweeping through the agricultural year 2024. Sensors, drones and networked machines are slowly finding their way onto more and more farms. And the Competence Network Digital Agriculture Bavaria (KNeDL) is right in the middle of it all. We have initiated projects and established networks.
It wasn't just about clever ideas, but about real solutions for the field and the barn. From energy-efficient dairy farms and European agricultural data platforms to the use of field robotics in practice, start-ups were offered a platform to network directly with practical farms and farmers were able to share their thoughts and concerns about digital tools with colleagues.
As always, a special highlight for all network members were the events on farms with direct insights into operational processes and the reports from experienced "digitalizers from agriculture".
Smart farming is no longer a promise for the future, but is increasingly becoming a reality.
Event: "Networked and with energy" - Focus on the agriculture of tomorrow
The "Networked and with energy" event showed how digitalization and renewable energies can make agriculture more efficient and environmentally friendly.
One highlight was the tour of the Demmel family's Huabahof farm with its innovative dairy cattle barn. It impressed with a photovoltaic system, robots for manure management, feeding and milking as well as a daylight control system to reduce emissions. Sensors monitor animal health, while an energy management system (EMS) optimizes energy flows.
This EMS was tested as part of the "Stable 4.0" project to promote sustainable farm management with technologies such as batteries, ice storage and load control. The project was presented by Prof. Dr. Jörn Stumpenhausen (HSWT) and Prof. Dr. Heinz Bernhardt (TUM).
Julian Braun (TH Ingolstadt) presented the FarmErgy project, which analyzes electricity consumption in dairy and pig farms in order to develop energy management systems for more efficient operations.
Another highlight was the prototype of the TADUS e-tractor, presented by Dr. Thaddäus Baier. With an output of 100 kW, the electric tractor offers high energy efficiency and is set to be launched on the market in 2025 with an improved battery.
There was lively discussion during the breaks and at the get-together. The event made it clear that innovative approaches make sustainable and modern agriculture possible.
Online event: Harvesting knowledge: Data rooms in agriculture
How do we use data in agriculture across company, sector and country boundaries?
Every year, we try to provide insights into new approaches for the secure and profitable exchange of data along the agricultural value chain on this important topic.
On July 18, 2024, experts such as Prof. Jörg Dörr (Fraunhofer IESE) showed how data rooms can not only be used for efficient business models, but can also be designed to be trustworthy across the entire EU.
One specific project is NaLamKi, a cloud-based platform that uses artificial intelligence in (partially) autonomous agricultural machinery to optimize agricultural processes such as fertilization and crop protection and make the data obtained accessible to third-party users via interfaces.
There are also ideas at federal state level that enable secure data exchange. For example, the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture presented the concept for the Bavarian agricultural data room.
Event: Agriculture in transition: people - technology - future
Does digitalization in agriculture sound like a dream of the future? You thought wrong!
At "Agriculture in transition", the future has long been part of everyday life - or at least pretty close to it.
Around 200 guests learned how robots such as the Farmdroid not only weed, but also protect the soil, and how start-ups are bringing a breath of fresh air to the industry with ideas ranging from indoor farming to yield forecasts.
Organic farmer Kilian Kellerer talked about how he is beating the crows thanks to field robots, and Stefan Froschmeir enthused about the soil-conserving use of his autonomous helpers - if it weren't for the slopes, and Maximilian Hagn has programmed the perfect farm management software for his hop farm himself.
The experts were unanimous on this day:
Put old clichés to one side! Agriculture has long since gone digital - and users and consumers need to understand this.
New format: KNeDL on a discovery tour - fields of innovation
"KNeDL on a discovery tour" - it sounds like a road trip, but it's an all-round look at digitalization in agriculture.
This is about more than just technology: farmers and scientists show how smart tools such as agricultural robots, specific apps and sensors can bring about real changes on farms - for more efficiency, sustainability and less stress.
And it doesn't stop at theory: from autonomous field robots to self-developed software solutions, it shows how the technology really works in everyday life. Practical relevance is key, and the stories from the fields and barns make it clear that digitalization is no longer a distant dream. This will not only make Bavarian agriculture competitive, but also fit for the future.
We start with a visit to the Bavarian State Institute for Agriculture in Ruhstorf a. d. Rott and the Future Crop project.
Innovation meets practice - experience digital agriculture!
KNeDL in Computerwoche: With digitalization to the farm 2.0
A podcast with Christian Metz
Computerwoche is IT expertise with depth and has been the place to go for decades for anyone who wants to understand digitalization.
And why the podcast with KNeDL there?
Because Agriculture 4.0 is not a dream of the future and can motivate other sectors to be more courageous and take a new approach. Christian Metz, the tech networker at Bayern Innovativ, explained how sensor technology and AI are turning farms into high-tech centers - for better harvests, healthier cows and sustainable management.
The message?
Smart agriculture is teamwork: Farmers, start-ups, IT companies and science need to come together.
An inspiring look at how technology is revolutionizing our fields and barns - while keeping an eye on the environment and the economy.
Municipal? Digital! And the "extreme weather early warning system" from the Ergoldsbach market
On November 26, 2024, the final event of "Kommunal? Digital!" in Munich, a funding program of the Bavarian State Ministry for Digital Affairs, which was supported by Bayern Innovativ.
The competence network was able to provide technical support for the "KLIWAS" project- a climate information, warning and alerting system for the Ergoldsbach market in Lower Bavaria. This system enables the region to react quickly to extreme weather events such as heavy rain or flooding and to warn the population in good time. KLIWAS uses a combination of weather data, sensors and intelligent analyses to identify risks at an early stage and take preventative measures.
The competence network played a key role in promoting and networking the project, which serves as a model for other municipalities and strengthens resilience to climate impacts.
KNeDL at EuroTier 2024: Experience the future of agriculture live
Last year, we were at EuroTier in Hanover - impressed by over 2,100 exhibitors presenting ground-breaking innovations. Smart farming, AI, sustainable production methods, automated feeding systems and sensor technology for animal health: digitalization clearly shows where the journey is heading.
In the course of this, we would like to introduce you to two exciting solutions from Bavaria:
#FitForCows: Digital tools for better animal health
The #FitForCows project offers free e-learning modules and an app to help farmers recognize animal signals at an early stage and take targeted action. A traffic light system shows the condition of the cows and helps to ensure animal health in the barn. More information: www.fitforcows.de.
Neurinos: More animal welfare and efficiency in agriculture
The start-up from Landshut is developing an AI-based image recognition system for agriculture and meat processing. This can support birth detection and health monitoring and also enable virtual veterinary advice. More information at https://neurinos.com/de/
Bavarian Foreign Representatives Meeting at Bayern Innovativ GmbH
On June 27, 2024, the Foreign Representatives Meeting at Bayern Innovativ provided an excellent platform for exploring synergies in the field of digital agriculture and promoting international exchange. More than 40 Bavarian foreign representatives as well as representatives from Bayern International and the State Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media (StMWi) came together to discuss forward-looking topics and projects.
The Competence Network Digital Agriculture Bavaria (KNeDL) presented the diverse expertise of Bavarian agriculture in key areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and drones, data spaces and interoperability as well as animal welfare.
The focus was on building synergies and promoting international cooperation. The exchange served to identify best practices and application examples, discuss innovative solutions and initiate sustainable partnerships.
We particularly invite innovative companies and founders who want to develop digital solutions or tap into international markets to share their projects with us - we are happy to help them find suitable partners in an international context and start new collaborations.
Gaia-X Roadshow Kempten
Digital ecosystems for smart regions
The Gaia-X Roadshow made a stop in Kempten on September 25, 2024 and transformed the city into a center of digital visions for smart regions.
Under the slogan "Digital ecosystems for smart regions", experts presented practical insights into the potential of data spaces and the Gaia-X initiative.
Bernd Rauch from Fraunhofer IESE shed light on how data rooms enable productivity-enhancing applications in agriculture. Martin Soutschek from Outdooractive showed how sustainable leisure mobility can be promoted through data exchange. Matthias Falk from Spekter GmbH demonstrated how data and sensor technology are revolutionizing disaster prevention and making municipalities more resilient to extreme weather events.
The event not only offered in-depth specialist presentations, but also space for networking and discussion about the digital future of rural areas.
The Landshut Leadership Forum 2024
"Moving into the future of human-machine collaboration"
A firework display of ideas - and ones that amaze everyone.
On November 21 and 22, the future of human-machine collaboration was rethought in Landshut. Between topics such as "AI integration" and "the future of work", real, tangible visions were put on the table - thanks to many different thought leaders and big names such as SAP and Meta.
Bayern Innovativ and the Competence Network were of course once again in the thick of it, as a driving force for knowledge transfer between business and science.
It wasn't just about technology, but about the question: How can people remain part of the equation?
The result: two days of rousing discussions that not only made us smarter, but also braver.
More biodiversity through digitalization - The GIL Conference 2024 in Hohenheim
The 44th annual conference of the Society for Information Technology in Agriculture, Forestry and Food (GIL) took place from February 27 to 28, 2024 at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart and was once again fully booked with 250 participants from science, business and administration.
The focus was on the key topic of "Promoting biodiversity through digital agriculture: What contribution can AI and co. make?". Current developments and innovations were presented in numerous sessions. In addition, an upstream hackathon focused on the sustainable design of agriculture through AI and digital technologies.
The Competence Network Digital Agriculture Bavaria (KNeDL) has supported this conference since its foundation. This is an opportunity to present the interests of our network members and our network activities to a broad specialist audience. In addition, the GIL conference is a good platform every year to find out about the most promising research projects in digital agriculture in German-speaking countries.
Smart Farming: Revolutionary digital tools for agriculture
Smart farming uses modern technologies such as IoT, drones and sensors to make agricultural processes more efficient and sustainable. These digital tools are revolutionizing agriculture and helping farmers to conserve resources and maximize yields.
The work of our network member Andreas Dörr, who is driving innovative solutions in this area, is particularly noteworthy.
Follow us on Instagram at " knedl.bayern " to receive all updates on events, start-ups, new technologies and current trends in digital agriculture in Bavaria.
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Newspaper article
- Allgäuer Bauernblatt: "Energy storage of tomorrow", 26.07.2024 (Event: Networked and with energy)
- Süddeutsche Zeitung (Wolfratshausen): "Young farmers in particular are curious", 07.08.2024 (Event: Networked and with energy)
- Bayerisches Landwirtschaftliches Wochenblatt: "Digitaler Hof: Technik fürs Energiemanagement", 16.08.2024 (Event: Networked and with energy)
- Bayerisches Landwirtschaftliches Wochenblatt: "Proven and new smart tools", 26.11.2024 (Event: Agriculture in transition)
- Gabot.de: The industry portal for decision-makers in horticulture: "Smart technology for fields and offices", 07.10.2024 (Agriculture in transition)
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Samerberger Nachrichten: "Agricultural invitation: Mensch-Technik-Zukunft", 03.10.2024(Agriculture in transition)
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