Innovative technology is winning

A total of 37 exhibits competed for this year's prizes, from which the expert evaluation committee, under the leadership of doc. Ing. Jiří Mašek, Ph.D., selected the 12 best ones. "It was not an easy task because the number of prizes is limited. I hope that companies will use these awards for marketing activities and increased sales. I wish all producers and sellers to bring in new customers and that the awarded technologies will really help not only Czech but also global agriculture," commented Jiří Mašek on this year's results.

Most items were entered by exhibitors at the TECHAGRO fair, where the committee awarded ten GRAND PRIX prizes. The company P & L, spol. s. r. o. was awarded for its Terrier Applicator for field-mouse elimination. It is a device for subsurface application of baits for field voles in a way that does not endanger non-target groups of animals.

Another prize was awarded to a product of the Czech company AGRIO MZS s.r.o. – the Dino III self-propelled sprayer with a main tank of 6,600 l and application arms up to 36 m. The spraying extension can be equipped with the latest technology that considers today's requirements for precision farming.

VNT electronics s. r. o. will also take home the GRAND PRIX award from Brno. Its fencee energy DUO Cellular EDC150 smart LTE power supply for the electric fence enables direct connection to the Cloud and the Internet using e-SIM technology. This allows the device to be controlled from a mobile phone or PC at an unlimited distance. The power supply has a backup battery, motion sensor and integrated GPS location to locate the power supply in case of theft.

The multi-purpose Slopehelper autonomous robot with electric drive automates work in vineyards and orchards. It covers the entire farming cycle and a wide range of work operations from tillage to fruit harvesting. It is manufactured by the Slovenian company PeK Automotive d. o. o. and exhibited in Brno by SYNPRO, s. r. o., which won the GRAND PRIX 2024 award for it.

The award-winning exhibits also include Spider Autonomous 2.0 produced from SNT – SPIDER NEW TECHNOLOGY s. r. o. and exhibitors DVOŘÁK – svahové sekačky s. r. o.

Spider Autonomous 2.0 is the only certified professional autonomous mower suitable for rough and sloping terrains. Precise technology using satellite navigation allows the mower to work according to a predefined route without the presence of an operator.

The Hungarian company Proofminder Services Kft. was also successful in the competition. Proofminder as the award-winning exhibit is a software solution based on the processing of detailed images taken by UAV that enables detection down to the level of individual plants. It has a very wide range of applications, from plant population mapping, weed detection and preparation for spot spray application to analysis of damage caused by animals or weather, and yield assessment.

Another winner was the flagship Massey Ferguson MF 9S.425 tractor from French manufacturer AGCO SAS and Austrian exhibitor Austro Diesel GmbH. It is a 425 hp tractor from the new MF 9S tractor range. It is equipped with the new Datronic5 and MF Auto system for the control of the engine, the DynaVT stepless transmission and the hydraulic system. The Protec-U tractor cab offers high comfort for the operator including low noise levels, excellent visibility and easy ergonomic controls.

The GRAND PRIX also goes to the Newman robotic hoeing device from ULLMANNA s.r.o., which can be seen at the stand of the Research Institute of Agricultural Technology. This hoeing device is a mechanical alternative to herbicide-based crop protection against unwanted weeds and also enables surface loosening of the soil in the row.

A new feature of the GRAND PRIX TECHAGRO competition are two special categories that focus on the latest issues in contemporary agriculture. In the Smart Farming category, the committee awarded the autonomous field robot with a tracked chassis AgXeed AgBot 5.115T2 from the Dutch manufacturer AgXeed BV, which is being exhibited at TECHAGRO by Leading Farmers CZ, a. s. Its tractor design with a diesel-electric drive with 115 kW of power allows to conduct common field work and aggregate common agricultural tools. The machine, proven in Czech agricultural practice, has perfect security for autonomous operation and can start the era of robotization of agriculture.

The second new category Soil water retention friendly is dedicated to exhibits that positively influence soil properties leading to improved soil retention. The award here went to ESCUBE s.r.o. and its ESCUBE natural plant food containing a unique hydroabsorption microgel. Thanks to the combination of microgel, humectants and wetting agents, it retains water in the soil and gradually delivers it to the plant root system along with other plant vitality-enhancing nutrients.

The GRAND PRIX SILVA REGINA 2024 was awarded to STROJÍRNA NOVOTNÝ spol. s r. o. for its HARVESTOR NOVOTNÝ H512 eight-wheel coniferous and mixed plantation harvester. The width of the machine is only 2.1 m, the reach of the hydraulic arm is 7.5 m, and the harvester head has a maximum cut of 45 cm. The new 2024 model also has low fuel consumption and enables precise measurement of the produced assortments.

The GRAND PRIX BIOMASA 2024 prize was awarded by the committee to LASKI, s.r.o., for its LS 160 A exhibit – the first fully electric chipper to incorporate intelligent control of all components via CAN bus bar, which enables optimised chipping and efficient use of battery power.