Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), May 23, 2023


EFITA newsletter / 1071 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


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Avant l’informatique / Before computers

23/05/2023

See guide-ireland.com 23/05/2023

See historyplace.com 23/05/2023

01 - 23/05/2023

globalagtechinitiative.com

> Making Sense of Machine Learning in Digital Farming
Contributing writer Michael Collins provides a detailed guide on ML algorithms, what they are, and how they work.

> Sentera Announces Series C Funding Expansion
Round positions for profitability, accelerates key growth initiatives.

> New AI Institute to Focus on Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry
Purdue University is among the members of a new institute that will leverage AI to help absorb and store carbon in the agriculture and forestry industries.

> EU: Robotics on Full Display at Agri-Food Event
The agROBOfood Network Event will be held this week at the Agricultural University of Athens in Greece.

> Full Harvest Reduces Food Waste Faster by Expanding Supply Chain Digitization to All Produce Grades
Adds USDA Grade 1 produce to become leading online marketplace serving entire produce market for commercial buyers and sellers.

> Agtech Company Agrovar and Biome Makers Join Forces to Support Bulgarian Farmers
Agrovar will offer BeCrop Test, a service specially designed to help farmers understand the biological dimension of the soil.

> Semtech’s LoRa Chip-to-Cloud Platform Enables Sustainable Farming in Malaysia
Semtech’s LoRa devices and gateways using LoRaWAN help to improve farming practices, lower operational costs and increase crop yields.

> Precision Pollination Leader BeeHero Named to the CNBC Disruptor 50 List for 2023
The honor recognizes the company’s use of breakthrough managed pollination technology and data-driven insights to future-proof global food supply.

> ISO Group USA Announces Grand Opening of U.S. Headquarters
The manufacturer of automated plant handling machines recently hosted a grand opening reception to announce its expansion into central Virginia.

> How Renewable Energy and Crops Can Coincide
Farmers can integrate renewable energy with traditional planting operations to maximize the use of space and even improve crop growth.

> Agtech Company Agrovar and Biome Makers Join Forces to Support Bulgarian Farmers
Agrovar will offer BeCrop Test, a service specially designed to help farmers understand the biological dimension of the soil.

> Semtech’s LoRa Chip-to-Cloud Platform Enables Sustainable Farming in Malaysia
Semtech’s LoRa devices and gateways using LoRaWAN help to improve farming practices, lower operational costs and increase crop yields.

> Precision Pollination Leader BeeHero Named to the CNBC Disruptor 50 List for 2023
The honor recognizes the company’s use of breakthrough managed pollination technology and data-driven insights to future-proof global food supply.

> ISO Group USA Announces Grand Opening of U.S. Headquarters
The manufacturer of automated plant handling machines recently hosted a grand opening reception to announce its expansion into central Virginia.

See globalagtechinitiative.com/


Paysage de Normandie, de Pierre Bonnard

02 - 23/05/2023

How did we see the future yesterday??
See the incredible collection developed by Alain Fraval

futurefarming.com

> Long coleoptile wheat a game changer for Australian growers
A new project will integrate long coleoptile wheat into Australian farming systems. This could be a game changer for growers in low-to-mid rainfall zones.

> FIRA USA 2023: more than 15 in-field robot demos
The California Rodeo Salinas is set to become a hub of agricultural technology during the 2023 edition of FIRA USA.

> Weed control: Savings on resources by spot spraying broad-leaved dock
Dutch bulb grower Stef Ruiter in Andijk (The Netherlands) is going into practice with a site-specific approach to broad-leaved dock in grassland.

> Field robot: Yanmar starts in France with autonomous spraying robot YV01
Yanmar starts with selling the YV01 autonomous spraying robot in France. Seven robots are sold now.

> Carbon credits: The only Australian farmer to ever earn soil carbon credits
Niels Olsen is the only Australian farmer that has earned any carbon credits for his soil.

> Protein acres: 5 million acres of protein maps using CropScanAg apps
With 800 CropScan On Combine Analysers installed, it is estimated that approximately 5 million acres of farmland are being mapped for protein and yield. 

> Fieldbee-gps: attractive alternative electric steering systeem
Fieldbee recently launched the new Powersteer electric steering system. We looked at a set for a first impression.

> Ecorobotix: BMW’s largest shareholder invests in Ecorobotix
Ecorobotix, to accelerate growth of AI powered plant-by-plant recognition and ultra-high precision smart sprayer system.

> Robotic imaging: Robotic imaging for faster corn breeding
Make rapid breeding improvements to every aspect of corn.

> Autonomous system: Efarm.Pro: autonomous system for demining fields in Ukraine
Efarm.Pro develops a demining complex which includes: a drone, a demining robot, an autopilot and a tractor-mounted system capable of withstanding an explosion.

>CHCNAV Opens Dealership Opportunities to Precision Ag Professionals
CHC Navigation opens dealership opportunities to precision farming professionals worldwide. Be our dealers in your region and grow your precision farming business with the affordable automated steering retrofit kits for tractors.

> Tillage: Scientist John Baker: ‘A lot of farmers are doing no-tillage wrongly’
A lot of farmers have experience in no-tillage, but in many cases, they are doing it wrongly.

> AgTech sensor startup EnGeniousAg wins $ 1 million award from NSF
EnGeniousAg, LLC has received a National Science Foundation Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant.

> Robotic imaging for faster corn breeding
Corn is a very valuable crop, but also an intensive crop requiring high amounts of water and nutrients to attain high yields. That’s why for many decades, seed industry and government scientists have been working hard on ways to make rapid breeding improvements to every aspect of the plant. Now it can be done faster.

> Intelligent cameras increase efficiency in agriculture
Explore how AI-enabled industrial cameras support agriculture by enhancing crop monitoring, increasing yield, and conserving resources. Benefit from this intelligent vision system for effective, eco-friendly farming practices.
Find out more about IDS NXT and its user-friendly workflows today.

> Funding: Small Robot Company in danger of entering administration
Small Robot Company’s lead investor has pulled its funding, leaving the UK company with no runway to continue operations.

> Tillage: Scientist John Baker: ‘A lot of farmers are doing no-tillage wrongly’
A lot of farmers have experience in no-tillage, but in many cases, they are doing it wrongly.

> Water management: Dutch farmer Klaas Schenk expands water management system
Dutch arable farmer Klaas Schenk in Anna-Paulowna, The Netherlands, invested in composite drainage, drip irrigation, an above-ground water reservoir and underground water storage in 2021.

> Autonomous system: Efarm.Pro develops autonomous system for demining fields in Ukraine
Efarm.Pro develops a demining complex which includes: a drone, a demining robot, an autopilot and a tractor-mounted system capable of withstanding an explosion.

> The only Australian farmer to ever earn soil carbon credits
Niels Olsen is the only Australian farmer that has earned any carbon credits for his soil.

> Harxon GNSS Antennas Facilitate Accurate Filed Robot Operations
Harxon provides cost-effective Survey GNSS antenna HX-CSX627A and Ruggedized antenna HX-CVX600A for accurate field robot operations like crop monitoring, soil sampling, weed control and harvesting. These tasks require high precision, reliability and autonomy from field robots. Using high-precision GNSS antennas can help farmers reduce costs, improve efficiency and enhance safety.
Contact us for more information!

> Autonomous sprayer: John Deere tests autonomous sprayer from GUSS on large orchards in Brazil
The autonomous sprayer GUSS is in Brazil to be tested in orange, coffee, grape, and vegetable plantations.

> Variable sowing beets: Dutch farmer starts with variable sowing of beets
Dutch NPPL participant Daniël Cerfontaine gets to work with variable sugar beet sowing.

> Spot spraying: Savings on resources by spot spraying broad-leaved dock
Dutch bulb grower Stef Ruiter in Andijk (The Netherlands) is going into practice with a site-specific approach to broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) in grassland.

> Steering system: Fieldbee-gps: attractive alternative electric steering system
Fieldbee recently launched the new Powersteer electric steering system.

See futurefarming.com

L’amandier en fleurs, 1946-47, de Pierre Bonnard

03 - 23/05/2023

70% of specialty crop growers now investing in farm robots, says new Western Growers report, AFN, by Jennifer Marston
…/…
Labor costs and availability issues are driving more investment in automation amongst specialty crop growers, according to a new report from US-based Western Growers Association.

Roughly 70% of growers surveyed for the second annual Specialty Crop Automation Report said they had invested in automation in 2022.

The average annual spend on automation was $450,000–$500,000 in 2022, up from $350,000–$400,000 the previous year.

Growers currently spend the bulk of their investments on weeding robots and those that can assist with harvest.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Paysage du Cannet, 1923, de Pierre Bonnard

04 - 23/05/2023

The Small Robot Company nearly ‘through the danger zone’ after losing lead investor and launching crowdfunding campaign, AFN, by Jennifer Marston

British ag robotics startup Small Robot Company (SRC) says it has a “high degree of confidence” that it’s “through the danger zone” it entered after recently losing its lead investor in a funding round.

The company offers what it calls “per plant” intelligence via its small Tom robot that autonomously maps an entire field to detect weeds, pests, compaction and other factors. Its AI intelligence advisor, Wilma, takes data points from Tom and converts them into advice for farmers. Wilma can also predict yields from emergence data, survival rates and tiller counts, says SRC.

Another ‘bot, Dick, can autonomously zap weeds and is in field trials for non-chemical weeding.
…/…
See agfundernews.com


Vine-killing bacteria found in Portugal

The wine industry is on tenterhooks. Xylella fastidiosa, sub-species fastidiosa, the bacteria responsible for Pierce’s disease, has been discovered in the county of Fundão, in the centre of Portugal.
See vitisphere.com


Microbes discovered that can digest plastics at low temperatures, by Helena Horton, Environment reporter, in The Guardian
.../...
Dr Beat Frey, one of the study authors, explained: “Microbes have been shown to produce a wide variety of polymer-degrading enzymes involved in the breakdown of plant cell walls. In particular, plant-pathogenic fungi are often reported to biodegrade polyesters, because of their ability to produce cutinases, which target plastic polymers due their resemblance to the plant polymer cutin.”

The scientists only tested the microbes at one temperature, so have not yet found the best one to use. Nevertheless, they say it works well between 4C and 20C.

Frey said: “The next big challenge will be to identify the plastic-degrading enzymes produced by the microbial strains and to optimise the process to obtain large amounts of proteins. In addition, further modification of the enzymes might be needed to optimise properties such as protein stability.”
.../...

See theguardian.com 23/05/2023

Lawsuit challenging Evian’s ‘carbon neutral’ claims ‘defies science and common sense,’ says Danone, AFN, by Elaine Watson

A lawsuit challenging ‘carbon neutral’ claims on bottles of evian spring water “defies science and common sense” and should be thrown out of court, argues brand owner Danone Waters of America.

Regulatory affairs experts are closely watching the proposed class action lawsuit* — filed in New York in October 2022 — amid growing scrutiny of ‘green’ claims. In this case, the claim at issue was certified by a high-profile third party: The Carbon Trust.
…/…
See agfundernews.com


Paysage au Cannet, 1928, par Pierre Bonnard

05 - 23/05/2023

A first thought for today

The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.
Muriel RUKEYSER, poet and activist (1913-1980)


A second thought for today

No two persons ever read the same book.
Edmund WILSON, critic (1895-1972)


A third thought for today

I feel fairly certain that my hatred harms me more than the people whom I hate.
Max FRISCH, architect, playwright, and novelist (1911-1991)


La Europa desaparecida

Los principios de “libertad, igualdad, educación, optimismo y fe en el progreso” que Thomas Mann defendió frente a los nazis deberían alimentar hoy cualquier proyecto político que se enfrente a los autócratas.
Ver elpais.com


Evolución a lo grande: cómo la ‘bestia del trueno’ pasó de pesar 20 kilos a cinco toneladas hace 50 millones de años, de Juan López Cantalapiedra y Oscar Sanisidro Morant

Un nuevo estudio explica por qué algunos animales llegaron a ser gigantes tras la extinción de los dinosaurios, cuando los supervivientes eran mucho más pequeños.
Ver elpais.com


Pierre Zaka (ITK Company) on LinkedIn: Drought in Spain / Pierre Zaka (Société ITK) sur LinkedIn : sécheresse en Espagne

01 - 23/05/2023

Crazy US Gun Law

02 - 23/05/2023

Mass Shootings are the new normal

03 - 23/05/2023

Absurd Debt Ceiling

04 - 23/05/2023

Are US Banks Safe?

05 - 23/05/2023

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Would Cost $13,904 Today, by Gale Pooley

In 1828, it took a blue-collar worker 400 hours to earn the money to buy a dictionary.

See humanprogress.org 23/05/2023

Address the growing urgency of fungal disease in crops

More political and public awareness of the plight of the world’s crops when it comes to fungal disease is crucial to stave off a major threat to global food security, by Eva Stukenbrock & Sarah Gurr
.../...
Because viruses and bacteria dominate as agents of human disease, these microbes have received much more attention than have fungi. Yet in crops, fungi are by far the most important agents of disease. The WHO’s list of fungal pathogens that infect humans is a step towards bringing more attention to this extraordinary but understudied group of microbes. But addressing the greatest threats to food security — and so to human health — must include tending to the devastating impacts fungi are having, and will keep having, on the world’s food supply.
See nature.com


Paysage Violet, Le Soir, par Pierre Bonnard

06 - 23/05/2023

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he’s a ‘little bit scared’ of A.I., by Rohan Goswami, Mar 20 20239

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a recent interview with ABC News that he’s a “little bit scared” of artificial intelligence technology and how it could affect the workforce, elections and the spread of disinformation.

OpenAI developed the ChatGPT bot, which creates human-like answers to questions and ignited a new AI craze.

But his excitement over the transformative potential of AI technology, which Altman said will eventually reflect “the collective power, and creativity, and will of humanity,” was balanced by his concerns about “authoritarian regimes” developing competing AI technology.

“We do worry a lot about authoritarian governments developing this,” Altman said. Overseas governments have already begun to bring competing AI technology to market.

Chinese tech company Baidu, for example, recently held a release event for its ChatGPT competitor, a chat AI called Ernie bot.

Years before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said whoever becomes the leader in AI technology “will be the ruler of the world.” Altman called the comments “chilling.”

Both Google and Microsoft have aggressively stepped up their AI plays. Microsoft chose to partner with Altman’s OpenAI to integrate its GPT technology into Bing search. Google parent Alphabet unveiled an internally developed chatbot called Bard AI, to mixed feedback from Google employees and test drivers.

The influence of ChatGPT and AI tools like it hasn’t yet reverberated through the American election process, but Altman said the 2024 election was a focus for the company.

“I’m particularly worried that these models could be used for large-scale disinformation,” the CEO told ABC.

“Now that they’re getting at writing computer code, [models] could be used for offensive cyberattacks,” he said.

ChatGPT’s programming prowess has already made a mark on many developers. It already functions as a “co-pilot” for programmers, Altman said, and OpenAI is working toward unlocking a similar functionality for “every profession.”

The CEO acknowledged that it would mean many people would lose their jobs but said it would represent an opportunity to come up with a better kind of job.

“We can have a much higher quality of life, standard of living,” Altman said. “People need time to update, to react, to get used to this technology.”
See cnbc.com


Flying Forward: The Future of the Drone Industry, by Haig Kadian

While we don't have flying cars, aerial technology is quietly transforming many industries, from e-commerce to medicine.

Already, private companies are using drones to deliver emergency supplies, identify crop infestations, and survey construction sites.

As the technology advances, drones could soon impact every area of society.
See humanprogress.org


A New Cloned Horse Offers Hope for Endangered Species

The technique may finally be emerging as a way to preserve species at risk of extinction.
See wired.com


Paysage du Midi, par Pierre Bonnard (1917-1918)

07 - 23/05/2023

Global economic inequality: what matters most for your living conditions is not who you are, but where you are

What is most important for how healthy, wealthy, and educated you are?

Your knowledge and how hard you work do matter — but they matter much less than the one factor that is outside anyone’s control: whether you happen to be born into a productive, industrialized economy or not.

The huge majority of the world is very poor: almost 4 billion people live on less than $6.70 a day. If you live on $30 a day, you are part of the richest 15% of the world.

In this article, we show how vast global income inequality is, and how much it matters for people’s living conditions. We also describe the importance of economic growth and redistribution for reducing inequality and improving living conditions.

See ourworldindata.org 23/05/2023

The Efita newsletter is sponsored by:

08 - 23/05/2023

06 - 23/05/2023

Impact of drugs

07 - 23/05/2023

08 - 23/05/2023

09 - 23/05/2023

Perspective: The pressure on pollinator insects, by Jack DeWitt, 2023

You may have heard that bees in California are fish. In June 2022, a California appeals court ruled that four species of bumblebees are to be categorized as fish, allowing the California Fish and Game Department to put them on the endangered species list.

California’s endangered species law, enacted in 1970, calls for special protection for any endangered “bird, mammal, fish, amphibia or reptile,” or in other words, anything with a backbone. So how do you get insects — such as bees — from that definition? Seems the legislators had all seafood in mind, because the law also includes clams, crabs, and lobsters, which have no backbone. Soon, interpreters of the law included a snail, a shrimp, and a crayfish, also backboneless.
.../...
There is a lot of research indicating a significant decline in insect populations worldwide over the last several decades. An insect trap 36 feet above the ground monitored by the Rothamsted agricultural research station in England for nearly 30 years (1973-2002) showed a decline in total insects trapped of 70 percent. Other long-term studies around the world show similar declines.

What is causing the decline? Dave Goulson, an entomologist in England, has written a book about the loss of insects (Silent Earth, Averting the Insect Apocalypse). He discusses several probable causes: Global warming, loss of habitat, loss of food sources due to super-effective weed control, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers that causes plants to produce more anti-insect toxins, and, of course, pesticides in general, particularly systemics such as the neonics. In other words, so-called industrial farming. He also blames honeybees, which are introduced, for competing with native pollinators for nectar and pollen.

I expect few insects will actually go extinct. One thing we can be sure of. If nuclear war destroys civilization, insects will take over the world.
See agdaily.com


Child Marriages in India: different hypotheses

10 - 23/05/2023

11 - 23/05/2023

See theprogressnetwork.org 23/05/2023

09 - 23/05/2023

See nature.com 23/05/2023

10 - 23/05/2023

11 - 23/05/2023

The world has lost one-third of its forest, but an end of deforestation is possible, by Hannah Ritchie, February 09, 2021

Over the last 10,000 years the world has lost one-third of its forests. An area twice the size of the United States. Half occurred in the last century.

01 - See ourworldindata.org

02 - See ourworldindata.org

03 - See ourworldindata.org

Why did renewables become so cheap so fast? By Max Roser, December 01, 2020

Fossil fuels dominate the global power supply because until very recently electricity from fossil fuels was the cheapest. This has changed dramatically. In most places power from new renewables is now cheaper than new fossil fuels.

For the world to transition to low-carbon electricity, energy from these sources needs to be cheaper than electricity from fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels dominate the global power supply because until very recently electricity from fossil fuels was far cheaper than electricity from renewables. This has dramatically changed within the last decade. In most places in the world power from new renewables is now cheaper than power from new fossil fuels.

The fundamental driver of this change is that renewable energy technologies follow learning curves, which means that with each doubling of the cumulative installed capacity their price declines by the same fraction. The price of electricity from fossil fuel sources however does not follow learning curves so that we should expect that the price difference between expensive fossil fuels and cheap renewables will become even larger in the future.

This is an argument for large investments into scaling up renewable technologies now. Increasing installed capacity has the extremely important positive consequence that it drives down the price and thereby makes renewable energy sources more attractive, earlier. In the coming years most of the additional demand for new electricity will come from low- and middle-income countries; we have the opportunity now to ensure that much of the new power supply will be provided by low-carbon sources.

Falling energy prices also mean that the real income of people rises. Investments to scale up energy production with cheap electric power from renewable sources are therefore not only an opportunity to reduce emissions, but also to achieve more economic growth – particularly for the poorest places in the world.

04 - See ourworldindata.org

Influenza

Seasonal flu is a contagious illness caused by the influenza virus. It kills around 400,000 people from respiratory disease on average each year. In large pandemics, when new strains have evolved, the death toll has been much higher.

Yet, data on the flu is limited. With better testing, countries could improve their response to flu epidemics. It could help to rapidly identify new strains, detect epidemics early, and design better-matched vaccines to target flu strains circulating in the population.

Our new Influenza work therefore shows estimates of deaths during seasonal flu epidemics, historical flu pandemics, patterns of flu seasons in different countries, and confirmed cases of flu and flu-like symptoms across the world.

The page also includes our Flu Data Explorer, a resource for epidemiologists, infectious disease researchers, and public health experts to monitor the global spread of the influenza virus.

05 - See ourworldindata.org

Learning curves: What does it mean for a technology to follow Wright’s Law?

Technologies that follow Wright’s Law get cheaper at a consistent rate, as the cumulative production of that technology increases.

In this article, we explain what this means by looking at the concrete example of solar panels. We also explain how this relationship between price and production connects to other “laws” such as Moore’s Law.

The time series in the chart shows the deployment of solar panels on the horizontal axis and the price of solar panels on the vertical axis. The orange line describes the relationship between these two metrics over time and is called the learning curve of that technology.

As the cumulative installed capacity of solar increased, the price declined exponentially. For more than four decades, the price of solar panels declined by around 20% with each doubling of global cumulative capacity.

The result is that in most places in the world today, power from new solar panels is cheaper than power from new fossil fuels.

06 - See ourworldindata.org

Why randomized controlled trials matter and the procedures that strengthen them

In order to tackle the world’s largest problems, we need to be able to identify their causes and effective ways to solve them.

How would we know about the effects of a new idea, treatment, or policy? Answering this question can be difficult. Some research is poorly done and there are incentives for scientists and funders to exaggerate their findings.

In this article, we look at a key tool to study cause and effect reliably: randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

What makes RCTs useful is the set of procedures they are expected to follow. This includes placebo controls, concealment, randomization, and pre-registration. These procedures protect against challenges that scientists usually face in research.

To be able to understand scientific research, we need to understand why these procedures matter and why they are not always followed in practice. With this knowledge, we have a greater ability to identify the causes and solutions to the largest problems that affect us.

07 - See ourworldindata.org

A old farmer joke (old joke)

A farmer stopped by the local mechanic’s shop to have his truck fixed. They thought it might have something to do with the transmission, so they couldn’t repair it while he waited. He told the mechanics that he didn’t live far and would just walk home.

On the way home he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket and a gallon of paint. He then stopped by the feed store and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store he now had a problem ― how to carry his purchases home.

While he was scratching his head he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked "Can you tell me how to get to 1603 Mockingbird Lane?” The farmer replied "Well, as a matter of fact, my farm is very close to that house. I would walk you there but I can’t carry this lot."

The old lady suggested "Why don’t you do this? Put the can of paint in the bucket. Carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand."

"Why, thank you very much, that works just fine!" he said, and proceeded to walk the old girl home.

On the way he said "Let’s take my usual short cut and go down this alley. We’ll be there in no time."

The little old lady looked him over cautiously then said, "I am a lonely widow without a husband to defend me... How do I know that when we get in the alley you won’t have your way with me?”

The farmer said with some irritation "Holy smokes, lady! I’m carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens, and a goose. How in the world could I do that?"

The old lady replied: "Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint can on top of the bucket, and I’ll hold the chickens."