Advancing Soil Health and Soil-Carbon Sequestration
Reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration by capturing carbon in agricultural soils
Relevant SDGs
Improving soil health using practices such as cover crops, no-till farming and managing soil compaction contribute positively to mitigating climate change. Sequestering carbon into agricultural soils and boosting crop yields is a natural win-win for both the farmer and the environment. We are committed to developing solutions to map, measure and implement good soil health practices. We are also applying our engineering expertise to develop innovative solutions to position agriculture and our farmers to as part of the solution to climate change.
Deepening Our Engagement with Farmers on Soil Health
At AGCO and across all our brands, we vigorously look to understand real challenges faced by our customers and find ways to solve them. Finding innovative solutions to tackle the challenge of sustainably feeding our world is no different. The farmer is our guide, and in our conversations, we will look to incorporate their insights and feedback on sustainability issues that matter most to them to inform our product and service innovation.
Commitment:
Integrate sustainability into customer engagement activities across all core brands by 2025
Meaningful Dialogue Leading to Valuable Insights
Aligned with our strategy of customer-centricity, AGCO regularly engages with an online farmer community to better understand opinions on the long-term drivers of change in the agricultural sector. Launched initially in Europe and running for two-week periods through the year, its participants share perspectives and exchange views using an interactive online platform. In 2020, a wide range of sustainability topics were discussed, including how farmers are adapting their operations to navigate the impact of climate change, evolving regulation and technological advances in agriculture. These invaluable insights are used to evolve our support for farmers as they transition towards more sustainable business models.
Demonstrate Regenerative Soil Practices and Promote Best Practices to Farmers
Over the past several years, we have invested in a thriving network of demonstration farms and initiatives to dig into the topics that matter most to farmers. Our Precision Technology Institute (PTI) in the USA and our Future Farms in Switzerland and Zambia run hundreds of trials each year overseen by our Global Agronomy team to test new ideas, allow farmers to experience the latest technologies and demonstrate core agronomy principles. These activities are supported by our Global Crop Tours and our Precision Planting Winter Conference where we host over 75 events around the world. We plan to pivot our global agronomy activities during 2021 towards more sustainability trials including cover cropping, lower tillage intensity, herbicide reduction by mechanical weed control, insecticide reduction through cultural and natural methods and variable rate nitrogen fertilization strategies.
Commitment:
Integrate soil health best practice into Future Farms trials and Global Crop Tours
AGCO Agronomy Digs In With Virtual Learning
The launch of InsidePTI brings farmers a weekly video series that shares insights and data from PTI’s trials. The institute has already created over 70 episodes covering topics such as ideal soil moisture, adding CO2 to soybeans and the effects of applying less nitrogen to the soil. In addition, our Martin Richenhagen Future Farm in Africa launched an online learning platform in 2020 to deliver a five-module agronomy program to farmers digitally. This investment in digital learning as well as upgrades to our state-of-the-art training facility in Zambia was powered by nearly $5 million in additional investments.
Develop New Sensors, Technologies, and Machine Features
AGCO’s brands produce a steady stream of new products, many of which feature smart farming solutions from Fuse® and Precision Planting. We are harnessing this capacity to find ways to improve soil health and support the reduction of the use of chemical inputs. Building on the successes of products such as Smart Firmer, which allows farmers to see inside the soil and Fendt’s 13 exclusive grip and soil technologies including VarioGrip, we continue to work tirelessly to protect the farmers most valuable asset, their soil.
Commitment:
Develop new sensors, technologies and machine features to support soil health and carbon sequestration
Momentum Planter Leads the Charge Against Soil Compaction
Soil compaction caused by wheel traffic is an increasing concern among farmers, especially due to the weight of high-capacity, central-fill planters on center transport wheels. Several studies have documented plant height reductions caused by compaction, which restricts root growth, limits nutrient and water uptake and ultimately lowers yield. In 2020, AGCO’s North America Momentum Planter crop tour demonstrated the effect of, and ways to minimize soil compaction by managing tire pressure. Momentum’s Load Logic™ system distributes the weight of the planter, seed and liquid fertilizer across all the planter’s tires to lessen the load on the center transport wheels and reduce compaction near the center rows.
Fast Track Connectivity Across AGCO’s Core Brands
The digitalization of the farm continues, with Fuse® technologies playing a leading role. We intend to fast track our capabilities to deliver connectivity across our entire fleet—across all brands of high-horsepower equipment—to enable and accelerate the adoption of smart farming and precision agriculture worldwide. Optimizing nutrient and pest control efficacy, managing compaction and machine optimization are key opportunities where farmers can leverage the right data to favorably impact yield and the environment.
Goal:
Deliver 100% connected fleet by 2025
FendtONE, the New Operating Concept
2020 saw the debut of the FendtONE system, the first fully integrated control strategy on the market, and a new operating philosophy that brings the onboard and offboard worlds together. It allows wireless and real-time data transfer between the tractor cab and farm office. FendtONE brings together agronomic and machine data in a combined ecosystem—allowing farmers to better use data-based diagnostics to enable informed decision-making that improves operational efficiency and resource conservation as well as yield and productivity.
