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 Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), September 06, 2021 EFITA newsletter / 1002 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment Do not miss the Virus Jokes in English and French The informatique-agricole.org site now offers you the possibility of subscribing the RSS feeds of its two newsletters See RSS feeds to implement to ensure that you continue to receive this newsletter To unsubscribe this newsletter, please contact me directely: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net if this link Unsubscribe does not work. Please note that I changed the presentation of the links that are embedded in the name of the web service. 
To correspond with me (GW), please use this address: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net To subscribe the efita newsletter (please ask your friends and colleagues to test this link) Efita Newsletters subscription Before computers...
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 You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. If you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your diet, what’s the best way to do it? One recommendation you hear often is to “eat local.” While this might make sense intuitively — after all, transport does lead to emissions — it is one of the most misguided pieces of advice. In this article from January 2020, we show that emissions from transportation make up a very small amount of the emissions from food — and that what you eat is far more important than where your food traveled from. FIRA 2021, The World Ag Robotics Forum (do not miss it!) 7 - 9 December 2021 - TOULOUSE (France) See fira-agtech.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: La fin du travail par Jules Breton (1827-1906)
Raven’s OMNi Platform Is on the Move Through its OMNi platform, Raven is rolling out its master plan to move autonomy forward at U.S. farm events this summer and fall. See precisionag.com Robotic Pruner Ready to Cut Down Production Problems in Apple Orchards Penn State researchers have designed the first robotic mechanism — an end-effector cutter — for a fully automated, computerized pruning system for modern apple orchards. See precisionag.com Nothing
is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory:
La fin de la journée de travail, 1886-87, par Jules
Breton (1827-1906)
Hemisphere GNSS Introduces New Outback Guidance MaveriX Precision AG Solution The new solution, built around the new MaveriX agriculture application software platform, provides state-of-the-art guidance, steering, and application control. See precisionag.com Three Main Components Causing the Digital Agriculture Revolution With large-scale availability of sensors and other technologies, growers have more data at their disposal than ever before. See precisionag.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: In Winter, in Daniel Ridgway Knight (USA)
Future farming Web Site > Detecting herbicide resistance New nanosensors are able to detect a common herbicide in real-time, with development of a commercialized testing platform to come. > Field robots: Special vest with transmitter for safety around autonomous vehicles Guss has developed a vest to ensure the safety of people who come near their autonomous sprayer Read more > Field robots: Brazilian robot monitors soy and cotton autonomously The equipment distinguishes plants from weeds while avoiding soil compaction. > Tools & data: Semios acquires farming platform Agworld Semios has announced it will acquire Agworld, an Australian data driven farm management platform > Field robots: XAG R150 robots on their way to growers in Australia XAG will ship its first unmanned ground vehicle, the XAG R150, to growers in Australia soon. > Fertilizing: Amazone wind control separately available on fertilizer spreaders Amazone can build the WindControl system on the ZA-TS and ZG-TS fertilizer disc spreaders. > Smart farming: Australia and New Zealand next for smart Beehome Beewise likes to introduce its AI-powered automated beehive Beehome to Australia and New Zealand. See futurefarming.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Les moulières, Villerville, France, by Walter Langley (UK)
Fieldin raises $30m Series B to scale its specialty crop management platform, AFN, by Lauren Manning & Jack Ellis Founded in Haifa, Israel in 2013, Fieldin has since established bases in Fresno and San Jose, California, as well as an outpost in Mildura, Australia. It’s aiming to bring “transparency and efficiencies to spraying, harvesting, and cultural practices” in commercial orchards, vinyards, and other specialty crop operations – a market which is on track to reach an estimated $1.7 trillion in value by 2027, according to research from StrategyR. With this objective in mind, Fieldin has built an “operating system” for farming, AgOS, uses real-time data analytics and machine learning to provide specialty crop growers with recommendations about the management of their entire operations. This includes boosting efficiency and profits, supporting crop health, increasing yields, and increasing sustainability. AgOS evaluates the entire growing cycle from planning to execution and embraces a range of factors like workers, equipment, and materials. The platform gathers data from the farm via sensors that are installed on tractors, implements, and other machinery. This data is then processed through AgOS and the recommendations are made available to users through a dashboard. …/… See agfundernews.com Pinduoduo reports first-ever profitable quarter; commits $1.5bn to ag development, AFN, by Jack Ellis - Pinduoduo, the e-commerce company that claims to be “China’s largest agricultural platform,” reported its first-ever quarterly profit when it announced its Q2 2021 results this week. - Total revenue for the quarter stood at ¥23 billion ($1.36 billion), up 89% on Q2 2020. Pinduoduo also recorded an operating profit of ¥2 billion ($309 million) for the three months ending June 30, compared to the operating loss of ¥1.64 billion ($225 million) it reported for the same period last year. - The Shanghai-based company said that profits from Q2 and future quarters will be allocated to its new ’10 Billion Agriculture Initiative’ which will “address critical needs in the agricultural sector and rural areas.” Re-investment of profits into the Initiative will continue until a total commitment of ¥10 billion ($1.54 billion) is met. …/… See agfundernews.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: À marée basse, 1890, par Eugénie Salanson
5 ways agroforestry can work for your land, AFN, by guest contributor: Tania Holembovska Agroforestry is the joint cultivation of trees and crops in the same area. Trees are planted in strictly oriented rows: in the northern hemisphere, along the meridians to minimize shadow; closer to the equator, they’re planted perpendicularly, for additional shade – where it is a valuable resource. Between the rows of trees, crops usually grown in fields are planted – including cereals, herbs, vegetables, and berries, among others. The effectiveness of agroforestry lies in the fact that trees protect crops from the wind, retain moisture, prevent soil erosion, and provide natural organic fertilizer and mulch when leaves fall. Leaf mulch is true permaculture: mulching happens on its own, and there is no need to import hay, removing organic matter from other places. On top of that, soil moisture measurement performed on agroforestry sites proves that correct selection of trees stops plants from competing for moisture. This is thanks to the trees’ ability to control soil moisture content naturally. Basically, it comes down to the selection of species with a taproot or fibrous root system. …/… See agfundernews.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory (?????): Breton girl carrying a jug by George Clausen
China: Bayer to Partner with Pinduoduo to Develop 'One-Click Planting' Agtech The objective of the Smart Agriculture Competition is to boost the yield and nutritional content of tomatoes, while ensuring the process is cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. See precisionag.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Returning From Market, by Josef Israels (Dutch, 1824-1911)
See volkerpannes.de Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Peasant family at the table, 1882, by Jozef Israëls
Data Snapshot: Florida, Michigan among leading US states by 2020 agrifoodtech investment, AFN, by Jack Ellis There are no prizes for guessing that the leading US state by agrifoodtech investment last year was California. It hosts Silicon Valley, after all – as well as being a major agricultural producer in its own right. Massachusetts in second place isn’t exactly a bombshell, either – given its pedigree for scientific research, with Harvard and MIT within is borders, and a thriving startup ecosystem that has grown around them and other renowned institutes and companies. But move a little farther down the rankings, and there are a fair few surprises. As revealed by AgFunder‘s 2021 Agrifoodtech Investment Report, Michigan and Florida were among the top five states by agrifoodtech investment last year. .../... See agfundernews.com
What is the breakdown of vaccinations by age? The share of people vaccinated against COVID varies widely by age. In many countries the oldest adults were given priority for vaccination, and only more recently has the effort ramped up for younger age groups. In Spain, for instance, over 90% of people aged 80+ had been fully vaccinated by the end of April, and by June the number had reached 100%. In contrast, to date 37% of those aged 18–24 have been fully vaccinated. Covid’s mysterious two-month cycle... Almost like clockwork Since the pandemic began, Covid has often followed a regular - if mysterious - cycle... In one country after another, the number of new cases has often surged for roughly two months before starting to fall. The Delta variant, despite its intense contagiousness, has followed this pattern. .../... The vaccine is so powerful because it keeps deaths and hospitalizations rare even during surges in caseloads. In Britain, the recent death count has been less than one-tenth what it was in January. In a few countries, vaccination rates have apparently risen high enough to break Covid’s usual two-month cycle: The virus evidently cannot find enough new people to infect. In both Malta and Singapore, this summer’s surge lasted only about two weeks before receding.
An American story around Covid-19, surprising! > LA County to pay $400K in settlement with Sun Valley church that defied COVID health orders > John MacArthur Admits Prior Church COVID Outbreak Illness 'So God Made a Farmer' Speech to the FFA by Paul Harvey See americanrhetoric.com 'So God made a farmer': The enduring, relatable image, by Jonathan Lawler See agdaily.com Perspective: Chemophobic ignorance is the real poison, by Tim Durham, Plant M.D The major point about chemophobic scares, be they pesticides or potato polyacrylamide: Ignorance is calibrated to hysteria, and it needs facts to fix. Tim Durham’s family operates Deer Run Farm — a truck (vegetable) farm on Long Island, New York. As an agvocate, he counters heated rhetoric with sensible facts. Tim has a degree in plant medicine and is an Associate Professor at Ferrum College in Virginia. See agdaily.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Potato eaters, ca 1902, by Jozef Israëls
Sigmar Gabriel Says More… Sigmar Gabriel (SPD - German Social-Democratic Party) is a former foreign minister and vice chancellor of Germany, and Chairman of Atlantik-Brücke. …/… It is not the task of Emmanuel Macron or Mario Draghi to convince the Germans that investing in Europe would bring huge gains. The Germans should recognize this themselves. After all, Germany is not a “net contributor country” in the European Union. We do make larger financial contributions than we get back in subsidies from Europe, but that is not even half the bill. As a large export-oriented economy, we draw the most value from the European project. Germany has been Europe’s export champion for decades. All this means is that we sell more goods and services to our neighbors than we buy from them. And, in fact, only 10% of Germany’s exports go to the United States or China, while more than 40% go to Europe. Economic success, growth, and social stability in European countries is therefore in Germany’s interest. Only if they are doing well can they buy our products, and only if they buy our products do we have jobs. Given this, investing more in Europe will make us all better off. It is the central task for Germany’s future political leaders to acknowledge this publicly, instead of continuing to perpetuate the nonsensical fairy tale that Germany is a “net contributor country.” .../... What hit the people in the west and south of Germany – as well as in Belgium and the Netherlands – was truly an unexpected tragedy. When such events coincide with an election campaign, it is always a test for the candidates and their ability to deal with crises. And, indeed, all the candidates for the chancellorship have tried to position themselves as suitable crisis managers in the wake of the floods. What really worries me is the obvious inability of the German political system to provide help quickly and effectively. The fact that, three weeks after the disaster, the mayors of the affected areas had to send a letter begging the state and federal governments for more help, because they felt that they had been left alone to deal with the catastrophe, is a powerful indictment of German politics. This contrasts sharply with the solidarity shown by the German people, including the many volunteers who traveled to the affected areas to help clean up the immense damage. Instead of tackling problems as they arise and finding a solution, our politicians often get lost in mutual recriminations and a race for the most flattering headline. This is the political tragedy that the recent catastrophe once again exposed: people face increasingly complex challenges, and too often they feel abandoned by their leaders. .../... German election campaigns always have a personal component, and rightly so – after all, the aim is to test whether someone is suitable to lead Europe’s largest economy. But the fact that we barely discuss politics, and instead follow the waves of media excitement about politicians’ presumed personality deficits, is in my view a failure of democracy. See project-syndicate.org
Las minas españolas resucitan El objetivo de Europa de abastecerse de materias primas para fabricar paneles o baterías despierta el interés de la industria y una creciente oposición ciudadana Los ingredientes que dan vida a las grandes revoluciones tecnológicas, en ocasiones, están a la vuelta de la esquina. No hace falta ir a las antípodas para encontrar los materiales que están en las entrañas de los móviles, paneles solares, aerogeneradores y pilas de los coches eléctricos. Luis Manuel Ginés, cartero rural, cayó en la cuenta de todo esto cuando se enteró por la prensa que entre su pueblo, Torre de Juan Abad, en Ciudad Real, y la localidad aledaña Torrenueva (ambos en Castilla-La Mancha) había un enclave de la economía global. Fue en 2015. “Aún recuerdo el titular: ‘La Mancha esconde las tierras raras que agitan el mundo’”, dice. Desde entonces, Ginés se ha convertido en la cabeza de un movimiento ciudadano que le ha plantado cara, Quantum Minería —impulsora del proyecto—, que como otras firmas del ramo han sacudido el avispero en busca de los minerales que prometen una economía sostenible y digital. .../... Arranca una vendimia con precios más altos por el aumento de la demanda y el recorte de la cosecha, de Vidal Maté (30 AGO 2021) Agricultura recuerda le exigencia de firmar contratos y el sector denuncia que no se cubren los costes de producción. El sector agrario inició la vendimia en algunas de las zonas vitivinícolas más importantes en volumen como Castilla-La Mancha en medio de las ya tradicionales discrepancias en materia de precios entre los productores y las bodegas, con Félix Solís y García Carrión como los principales protagonistas. En conjunto, se maneja una subida media de las cotizaciones de la uva de un 15% como consecuencia de una cosecha inferior a la de la campaña pasada pero por encima de la media, menos producción en otros países comunitarios y, fundamentalmente, por el aumento de la demanda interior con la apertura de la restauración frente a lo sucedido el año pasado y muy especialmente por el aumento de la exportación. .../... Ver elpais.com David Trueba: “El populismo no es exclusivo de la política”, de Juan Cruz (30 AGO 2021) El cineasta y escritor publica la novela ‘Queridos niños’, la crónica de una campaña electoral ¿Ha visto lo que se dice ahora de Adolfo Suárez? ¿Y recuerda lo que se decía de él cuando estaba al mando? No hay nada mejor que un político que anuncia una enfermedad mental o que se muere. Ese político sube siete escalones en el aprecio popular. También debemos reflexionar sobre eso: lo incómodo que nos resulta la gente viva y lo cómoda que nos resulta la gente muerta. Ahora todos podemos homenajear a Lorca, pero cuando Lorca vivía se lo quería cargar el 75% de los que le habían oído. Entonces, ¿de qué vamos? ¿Tanto molesta que una persona diga lo que piensa, que sea libre, alegre, que critique las cosas que le molestan de una sociedad? Si esto te molesta en vida, no lo festejes cuando ha muerto, porque eso es una indecencia. Ver elpais.com Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Vrouw met een mand op haar rug, 1873, by Jozef Israëls
The job interview (old joke already told here but years ago) An Irishman went for an interview with one of the major blue chip computer companies. When the interview was over the interviewer told him that all applicants had to complete a test. The interviewer took a piece of paper and drew six vertical lines in pairs of two on the paper and placed it in front of the Irishman. “Could you please show me a clever way to make this into nine?” After thinking for a while the Irishman took the pencil and drew a canopy of leaves on top of the three pairs of lines, and handed the paper back to the interviewer. The interviewer looked at the drawings and said: “But that is not nine!” “Oh yes it is”, said the Irishman with a broad Irish accent, “Tree + Tree + Tree make nine!” The interviewer handed the paper back to the Irishman and asked him to make it 99. After thinking for a long while the Irishman scribbled up and down the trunks and handed the paper back to the interviewer. The interviewer looked at the drawings and said: “But that is not ninety-nine!” “Oh yes it is”, said the Irishman, “Dirty tree + dirty tree + dirty tree make ninety-nine.” The interviewer was now a bit cheesed off so he decided to do the Irishman once and for all, therefore, he handed the paper back to the Irishman and asked him to make it 100. After thinking for a considerably longer time the Irishman suddenly grabbed the pencil and drew a little blop on the bottom right-hand side of each three and handed the paper back to the interviewer. The interviewer looked at the drawings and said: “But that is not 100!” “Oh yes it most certainly is”, said the Irishman with a much broader Irish accent, “Dirty tree and a turd + dirty tree and turd + dirty tree and a turd, make a 100. The distribution of this efita newsletter is sponsored by vitisphere.com Please, contribute to the content of your efita newsletter, and advertise your events, new publications, new products and new project in this newsletter. Without your support, it will not survive! Contact: Guy WAKSMAN E-mail: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net To read this newsletter on our web site See Afia The archives of this newsletter See Afia About the EFITA mailing list You can use the efita moderated list (> 15000 subscribers) to announce any event / product / web site / joke (!) related to IT in agriculture, environment, food industry and rural areas. If you want to subscribe a friend, please fill in his form. If you do not wish to receive our messages, please fill in the following form... |
