SIMA, the international agricultural fair in Paris, has been postponed several times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The fair will eventually go on from November 6 to 10, 2022. The SIMA organization wanted to hold the SIMA Innovation Awards this year, however. The winners of the medals were announced at the end of April.
From all entries, the organisation selected a shortlist of 40 novelties. From these nominees the jury finally chose 12 laureates and awarded 3 Special Awards.
Companies from the agricultural and horticultural sector could register their innovations in 4 different categories. These categories were “Soil and crops”, “From harvest to storage”, “Livestock and renewable energy” and “Electronics, parts and services”.
During a virtual ceremony, the organization awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in the 4 categories and also granted 4 special awards.
In the “Soil and Crops” category, the gold medal went to the SmartApply© Intelligent Spray Control System™ from Smart Guided Systems. The Smart Apply Intelligent Spray Control System uses air assistance in crop protection and a LiDAR scanner to measure crop density to control each cap individually.Sulky received the silver medal for their Speed Control, which allows fertilizer spreaders to automatically adjust their spreading pattern according to the tractor’s travel speed. The bronze medal went to Stecomat with its Farmdroid FD20 seeding and weeding robot.
For the “From Harvest to Storage” category, Downs received the gold medal for their CropVision optical potato sorter. Using fingers, the machine analyzes the entire surface of each product. It then removes clods of earth, stones or damaged potatoes with its ejector fingers, all at a maximum capacity of 100 tonnes per hour. New Holland received the silver medal for its NutriSense analysis tool. The Nutrisense is a NIR sensor that allows to measure a number of data of the harvested crop during the harvest. The NutriSense is an option on CR Revelation combines. The Venti’Javelot got the bronze medal. With the Venti’Javelot the ventilation of grain silos can be switched on and off remotely. The system permanently monitors the outside temperature and that of the grain, and can also suggest the most suitable time for ventilation for optimal cooling.
In “Livestock and renewable energy” the gold medal was awarded to Kuhn with the autonomous Aura feeding robot. This feeding robot, contrary to other feeding robots, does not need a separate feed kitchen and can take its feed out of the silos itself. The silver medal was for Base with their Cogen’Air thermovoltaic solar panels. These solar panels do not only generate electricity, but also heat which can be used to dry grass or increase stable temperatures, for example. The Fusion 2-in-1 tipper truck from Deguillaume was rewarded with the bronze medal. Thanks to its double floor, this tipping trailer can transport both solid and liquid products.
In the “Electronics, Parts and Services” category, the gold medal went to Vitibot’s VitiDrive. The Vitidrive is a universal controller that controls Bakus wine robots. Different electric models are available for narrow and semi-wide plantings. The silver medal went to Amazon with the Cenius-TX Zone Finder. With the Amazone Cenius-2TX Zone Finder, soil differences can be detected. That way, soil profile maps can be generated. It also collects data from the tractor, such as fuel consumption, traction and slip. The bronze medal went to New Holland Agriculture for their pressure sensor in the cleaning system of combine harvesters. By measuring the pressure on the cleaning tables in the combines, the machine can be fine-tuned during operation to avoid losses.
In addition to the gold, silver and bronze medals in the 4 categories, the jury also awarded Special Awards to Zürn for the TopCut Collect, Krone France for Krone Easynet and MSA Auvergne for their training package on safe handling of telehandlers and forklift trucks.
The Zürn Top Cut Collect is a weed mower with a working width of 9 to 12 meters. The machine mows down weeds that protrude above the crop and collects the plant parts that are cut off, hence preventing further spreading. The Top Cut Collect is also effective in controlling resistant weeds. With the Krone EasyNet system, changing the net rollers becomes a lot easier. A fold-out system prevents the user from having to lift the net roll up and provides increased safety.
This year’s SIMA Innovation Awards were presented via a digital ceremony. Next time we hope to be back together in Paris for the ceremony!
Text: Antoon Vanderstraeten – Images: manufacturers
This article appeared in Farmers of Europe 1-2021
