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Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), 1 March, 2021
EFITA newsletter / 974 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
Do not miss the Virus Jokes in English and French
> Coronavirus 4 Coronavirus 3 Coronavirus 2 Ant joke Coronavirus 1
> Virus et autres sujets Virus 6 Virus 5 Virus 4 Virus 3 Virus 2 Virus 1
> Les dernières histoire de l'oncle Paul (Jamet) (mostly in French)
> Les dernières histoires de Georges Larroque (mostly in French)
> Les dernières histoires de Michel Gil-Antoli (mostly in French)
> Les dernières histoires de Jean Pinon et Luc Becker (mostly in French)
> Et encore... et encore, encore
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It is amazing to see French people so pessimistic about the future... (source humanprogress.org)
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France:
Real GDP per capita (2011 US dollars, year 1000 - year 2003)
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Weekly newsletters about ICT in Agriculture in English and French
Both newsletters have around 14000 subscribers.
>>> Last weekly EFITA Newsletters in English (created in 1999) Efita Newsletters
>>> Last weekly AFIA Newsletters in French (created more than 20 years ago in 1997) Afia Newsletters
>>> Statistics for the last efita newsletter
>>> Last issue of the afia newsletter
>>> Last available satistics for the afia newsletter
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: La meule, 1826, Charles-François Daubigny, Musées de Pontoise (France)
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Plant Based Summit (6th edition)
2 - 4 June 2021 - REIMS, France
To speed up the development process, all operators in the value chain need to deal with environmental issues, industrial and investment challenges by:
- Bringing companies together to move towards an integrated plant based chemicals supply chain
- Achieving technology scale up
- Exploring business opportunities (industrial formulation, packaging, bio-cosmetics, plastics…)
- At Plant Based Summit, each stakeholder in the biobased economy is able to share, find the best solutions to fit its own specific place and development stage, enabling it to make the decisive leap forward, thus contributing to empower the biobased economy.
See plantbasedsummit.com
Efita 2021 Conference
25 -26 May 2021 - Digital Agriculture Web Conference
The European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (EFITA) would like to invite you at the first EFITA International online Conference in 2021. As a way to keep the momentum and engagement of our society, while maintaining the plans for the 2022 physical EFITA conference, this conference and its format are planned as a response to the unpredictable situation created by the COVID-19.
This event is an opportunity to bring together engineers, scientists, technicians, aca-demics and industry people in a new way to exchange knowledge, ideas, to present innovations and to discuss the state-of-the-art and future use of ICT in the agri-food sector and bio-resources production sectors.
See efita2021.com
Contact: Dionysis BOCHTIS
E-mail: d.bochtis(a)certh.gr
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En
1899, 1900, 1901 et 1910, un groupe d'artistes, dont notamment
Jean-Marc Côté, a réalisé une série
de cartes et de dessins d'anticipation sur le thème de
l'an 2000 (Bibliothèque Nationale de France).
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 Des plongeurs chevauchant des hippocampes / Divers on Horseback |
In 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1910, a group of artists, including notably Jean-Marc Côté, produced a series of anticipatory drawings on the theme of the year 2000 (BNF). |
DeHaat acquires Farm Guide to bolster marketplace and advisory platform for smallholders, AFN, by Louisa Burwood-Taylor
DeHaat, the Indian agtech platform for smallholder farmers, has acquired Farm Guide, a spatial imagery and data science startup to further bolster its marketplace and advisory services.
See agfundernews.com
Foodtech & agtech startups set to bring in over $30bn in 2020
What a year. It would be an understatement to say it’s been tough for most but for agrifoodtech, it was a blow-out year. Startups raised $26.1 billion in 2020, a 15.5% year-over-year increase, which we expect to increase to more than $30 billion as new 2020 deals come to light. This would represent 34.5% growth over 2019.
See agfunder.com
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: View near Epernon, by Jean-Baptiste Corot
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How did we the future yesterday??
See the incredible collection developed by Alain Fraval
Driscoll’s partners with Consumer Physics to measure sweetness in berries, AFN, by Lauren Manning
Major strawberry producer Driscoll’s is teaming up with Israeli startup Consumer Physics to measure strawberry sweetness (known as Brix in the industry).
Consumer Physics will apply its SCiO technology, which uses near-infrared spectrometers and cloud-based software, to Driscoll’s quality measurement process. By the end of 2021, Driscoll’s will rely exclusively on Consumer Physics’ technology.
Driscoll’s uses a Quality Rewards System to reward independent growers who can consistently deliver strawberries that meet the right sweetness and flavor profile.
See agfundernews.com
Deveron acquires Farm Dog, an award winning data platform, Yahoo Finance
Deveron Corp. (TSXV: FARM) ("Deveron" or the "Company"), a leading agriculture digital services and insights provider in North America, is pleased to announce it has acquired FD Agro Technologies LLC ("Farm Dog"), an award winning agriculture data platform company that helps farmers, agronomists and agribusinesses record, organize and leverage on-farm information to make better decisions.
See finance.yahoo.com
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: La petite fontaine de Léon Augustin Lhermitte
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Data analytics company DTN acquires on-farm data startup Farm Market iD, AFN, by Lauren Manning
Data analytics company DTN has acquired Farm Market iD, which provides a number of sales and marketing-focused services to the agribusiness industry centered around on-farm data.
Farm Market iD aggregates data from multiple sources including government information to cover over 310 million acres of crops.
With this information, Farm Market iD helps agribusinesses find farms and farmers in the area and provides sales teams with targeted information to create hyperlocal campaigns.
See agfundernews.com
Make your tractor autonomous with these 6 retrofit kits
If you’re interested in autonomous tractors rather than field robots, you’ll have your best shot with brand independent suppliers of autonomous retrofit kits as there’s only two tractor manufacturers offering autonomous tractors right now.
See futurefarming.com
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Tucking the Rick by Henry Herbert La Thangue (1859-1929)
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Manufacturers hesitant to sell robot tractors
A farmer who wants to purchase a ready-to-use autonomous tractor has little choice. Manufacturers who have market-ready versions are hesitant to enter the market.
See futurefarming.com
The Autonomous Wizard of Oz blog Part 1: Starting out
Gerrit Kurstjens, is a pioneering farmer who has already clocked up 40,000ha of autonomous operations on 13,000ha of cropping area at Beefwood Farms, Moree in New South Wales, Australia. In this exclusive series of blogs he explains more about these remarkable developments.
See futurefarming.com
Wheat production costs up to $ 46 per ton lower with autonomy
A study related to the UK’s Hands Free autonomous farming project shows that wheat production costs can go down with $ 23 to $ 46 per ton if the entire production is done autonomously with a swarm of small robot tractors and vehicles.
See futurefarming.com
Robotisation: implement makers ahead of tractor manufacturers
The prospect of autonomous tractors performing field operations autonomously is still just a promise for the vast majority of farmers around the world. But, once the economics are right and legislators allow it, things may rapidly change.
See futurefarming.com
Check out the Autonomous Tractors Catalogue
In this catalogue you can find the autonomous tractors that are currently commercially available. The catalogue is updated on a regular basis.
>>> Monarch; not only autonomous but also fully electric
Monarch is a bit like the Tesla of the tractor world; a new tractor manufacturer that immediately focuses on a complete electric drive system and can work autonomously.
>>> Autonomy integrated in Yanmar’s proven standard tractors
The Japanese Yanmar offers four of its standard tractors with integrated autonomy from 88 to 113 hp. Recently the navigation system has been improved of Yanmar’s Robot Tractors.
See futurefarming.com
Check out the Autonomous Retrofit Kits Catalogue
In this catalogue you can find autonomous retrofit kits that are currently commercially available. The catalogue is updated on a regular basis.
See futurefarming.com
Future of spraying technology depends on legislation; to what extent can it be unmanned?
Where is the journey going with spraying technology; is the increasing pressure on chemistry the beginning of the end? Jørgen Audenaert, spraying technology expert at John Deere, shares his insights.
See futurefarming.com
Robots: Future Acres launches robotic harvest assistant Carry
Start-up produces autonomous, electric agricultural robotic harvest assistant.
See futurefarming.com
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: In a Cottage Garden by Henry Herbert La Thangue (1859-1929)
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Weather data: BASF and Salient to provide seasonal weather forecasts
Seasonal weather forecasting data provided by Salient Predictions integrated into Xarvio.
See futurefarming.com
Blog: The Autonomous Wizard of Oz blog Part 1: Starting out
Gerrit Kurstjens, is a pioneering farmer who has already clocked up 40,000ha of autonomous operations on 13,000ha of cropping area at Beefwood Farms, Moree in New South Wales, Australia. In this exclusive series of blogs he explains more about these remarkable developments.
See futurefarming.com
Robot tractors: Manufacturers hesitant to sell robot tractors
A farmer who wants to purchase a ready-to-use autonomous tractor has little choice.
See futurefarming.com
Autonomy: Autonomy significantly cuts wheat production costs
Wheat production costs can go down with £16 to £33 per ton if the production is done autonomously.
See futurefarming.com
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory (?????): La ferme de Maurice Estève
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Already mentioned but I insist… Agtech CVC (Corporate Venture Capital): BASF Venture Capital on ‘catalyzing change for the chemicals industry’, AFN, by Richard Martyn-Hemphill
Like its peers (and competitors) Bayer and Syngenta, German chemicals giant BASF knows that ‘business as usual’ in the agrifood sector isn’t going to cut it. As regulators tighten restrictions on the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and consumers demand transparency on the sources and contents of their food, BASF has been turning its vast Agricultural Solutions division toward new techniques and business models for delivering services like crop protection.
Over the next decade, BASF plans to launch at least 30 new projects relating to novel seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, and digital products. It’s also looking outside of its own R&D capabilities to seed and scale promising new innovations through a $250 million evergreen corporate venture fund, BASF Venture Capital.
.../...
See agfundernews.com
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Ferme en Bretagne par Paul Gauguin (1848-1903)
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Typology of US farms
See nass.usda.gov
Summary by Farm Typology Measured by Gross Cash Farm Income (GCFI) of Family Farm Producers and Non-Family Farms - United States (2017)
Family farms: 96 %!
See nass.usda.gov
Explore the U.S. Census of Agriculture
1,109,000,000,000
It’s a big number. That’s the estimated contribution of agriculture, food and related industries to the U.S. GDP in 2019. It’s so large that there is a census undertaken every 5 years by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture to properly account for its magnitude and market penetration. Keep in mind, that’s twice as frequent as the census of population.
The Census of Agriculture is also incredibly detailed, with hundreds of statistics for states and counties, including information about production, sales, and demographics, from 2 million farms that cover almost 1 billion acres.
The last census was undertaken in 2017, and a portion of that information is now available in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. You can explore the nine layers available in this content group for major agriculture products, livestock, and equipment, along with some related layers, such as the USDA’s CropScape and Soil Survey Geographic Database.
See esri.com
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Huawei turns to pig farming as smartphone sales fall, BBC (source AFN)
The Chinese telecoms giant was stopped from accessing vital components after the Trump administration labelled it a threat to US national security.
In response to struggling smartphone sales, Huawei is looking at other sources of revenue for its technology.
Along with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tech for pig farmers, Huawei is also working with the coal mining industry.
…/…
See bbc.com
Newly discovered trait helps plants grow deeper roots in dry soil
See agdaily.com
India Government to consider bringing down GST (Goods & Services Tax) on pesticides to 5% (Feb. 23, 2021)
As part of efforts to bring parity in taxation on agro-inputs, the Department of Chemical and Petrochemicals has approached the Finance Ministry for reducing GST on pesticides from 18 per cent to 5 per cent.
Along with fertilisers, pesticide is also an important agro input that helps in curbing pests and diseases on plants and plays a major role in increasing agricultural production. But unlike fertilisers that attract 5 per cent GST, pesticide is charged GST at 18 per cent, even higher than 12 per cent VAT before introduction of the new indirect tax system.
See agropages.com
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Cattle drinking, 1885, by Paul Gauguin
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‘All rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef,’ says Bill Gates, AFN, by Jack Ellis
Bill Gates has suggested that developed nations should completely replace their consumption of cattle-derived beef with “synthetic” alternatives.
“For Africa [and] poor countries, we’ll have to use animal genetics to dramatically raise the amount of beef per emissions,” he said in an interview with MIT Technology Review to promote his new book, ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.’ “I don’t think the poorest […] countries will be eating synthetic meat. I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef.”
The Microsoft co-founder and Gates Foundation co-chair said he isn’t sure if ‘lab-grown’ meat “will ever be economical.” But he said that plant-based protein makers like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat — both of which he has invested in — “have [a] quality road map and a cost road map that makes them totally competitive.”
See agfundernews.com
The year global health went local, By Bill and Melinda Gates
The world has an important opportunity to turn the hard-won lessons of this pandemic into a healthier, more equal future for all.
See gatesnotes.com
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Bill Gates: ‘Carbon neutrality in a decade is a fairytale. Why peddle fantasies?’
After putting $100m into Covid research, the billionaire is taking on the climate crisis. And first he has some bones to pick with his fellow campaigners...
For example, the transport industry, on which so much attention is focused, accounts for only 16% of global emissions – which is why, as air travel has ground to a halt, greenhouse gases have gone down by only around 5%. As Gates points out, the future of car travel lies in electric vehicles; but if the electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, the switch is of limited value. Cars are a minor part of the problem compared with the juggernaut of emissions generated by the global cement and steel industries.
“Most people don’t understand what cement is,” says Gates, igniting with interest. “And I spent literally weeks understanding why it’s so miraculous, and could we use less of it?” The same goes for meat production. “To understand, OK, what is the ratio of the input of the calories of the cow to the output? What are cow genetics?” Cow burps and farts account for around 4% of global emissions; without striking beef from our diets, how can those emissions be offset or eliminated?
.../...
The biggest gesture most powerful authorities are willing to make involves divesting from polluting industries. Last year, New York state pledged to divest its $226bn (£165bn) pension fund from fossil fuel companies. This strikes Gates as wholly inadequate; it diverts the focus from more urgent concerns, such as finding a carbon neutral energy source to power the electricity grid. “It’d be tragic to have this whole generation behind the cause, and then you just do the easy stuff like divesting securities. You can say, ‘OK, I don’t want any more of those evil oil company stocks. Yay!’ Well, how many tons [of carbon] did you avoid by doing that?”
The same goes for everybody vowing to eat less meat. “I mean, these are good things – in fact, buying Beyond Burgers [a plant-based “meat” company that Gates invests in] actually drives demand, which will get the quality up and the rate premium down, so consumer behaviour is important. But unless you replace steel, it’s a joke. Just forcing companies to report their CO2 is a good thing; but when you open that steel company report, you’re going to go, ‘Oh, this is shocking, they have emissions!’ And what? Are we not going to build buildings in India to provide people with basic shelter?
.../...
But there is no denying that Gates is alert to inequity. “It’s the rich countries that did all the emissions,” he says, “but it’s these poor countries [that will suffer]. The injustice of this on a global basis is pretty mind-blowing.” Still, he is often at odds with other climate campaigners, particularly those on the left. Of the Green New Deal, the proposal backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that raises the goal of carbon neutrality in a decade, he is flatly dismissive. “Well, it’s a fairytale. It’s like saying vaccines don’t work – that’s a form of science denialism. Why peddle fantasies to people?” This seems a little harsh, and one suspects that Gates’ vehemence is powered by a broader disapproval of Ocasio-Cortez’s politics. But his point is that there isn’t the time, money or political will to reconfigure the energy industry in a decade; by encouraging an impossible goal, you doom yourself to short-termist measures that prove insufficient.
How helpful does he consider protest movements like Extinction Rebellion, with their habit of shutting down busy thoroughfares at rush hour? “Well, what we need is innovation. So if they’re really strategic about what street they cut off, and some poor guy is blocked in traffic and he sits there and says: ‘God, I’ve got to figure out a way to make steel [carbon neutral]. I was being lazy, but now that I’m sitting here in traffic, I’m going to go home tonight and figure how to do this.’ Then it’s a very direct connection between blocking the traffic and solving climate change.” He smiles sarcastically. “I don’t mean to make fun of it – in a way their passion is valuable. But it’s going to manifest in some ways that aren’t that constructive. So we need to channel that energy in a way that takes 51bn and moves it towards zero.”
…/…
See The Guardian
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Paysage de Bretagne - Le moulin David par Paul Gauguin
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Little Johnny
Little Johnny: Teacher, can I go to the bathroom?
Teacher: Little Johnny, MAY I go to the bathroom?
Little Johnny: But I asked first!
Number
A teenage girl had been talking on the phone for about half an hour, and then she hung up.
"Wow!," said her father, "That was short. You usually talk for two hours. What happened?"
"Wrong number," replied the girl.
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Harvesters Resting by Daniel Ridgway Knight
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Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net
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