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This initiative eliminates the need for individual plastic PLU stickers. (Image source: Westfalia Fruit)

Agriculture

Leading multinational avocados and fresh vegetables and fruit supplier, Westfalia Fruit has announced the launch of laser etching on mangoes

The laser project was a collaboration between Westfalia’s capabilities in The Netherlands and in Germany to ensure the fruit’s quality and shelf life were preserved. Driven by its Netherlands-based operations, this initiative eliminates the need for individual plastic PLU stickers. Customer feedback has been very positive, and the plan is to expand the range further across Europe in the near future.

“Since joining Westfalia, my focus has been on improving collaboration and efficiency," said head of operations Central Europe, Mathijs Benard. "The introduction of laser etching, which is almost like a tattoo on the mango, has been an exciting project. Not only does it make the fruit stand out in-store, but it also has the potential to save up to 10 million plastic stickers a year. What we can laser on the fruit is only limited by our imagination and customer needs. Currently, we are etching the fruit origin, customer branding, and product reference.”

Westfalia's Poeldijk production facilities showcase diverse capabilities. While the company is renowned for its expertise in avocados, these facilities also offer year-round packing solutions for sprouts, capsicum, and other vegetables.

 

Technology developed by the Scottish biotech, which has announced its latest investment round, is set to revolutionise the dairy farming industry. (Image source: Business Wire)

Cattle

Scottish biotech company, Biotangents recently announced its latest investment round, that is set to revolutionise the dairy farming industry with the world’s fastest on-farm, point-of-care diagnostic device aimed at addressing disease in dairy cows

Bovine mastitis is a serious and expensive problem costing the global dairy farming industry around US$25.4bn every year. Given the timeframe of existing diagnostics, which take so long that farmers resort to treating herds, predominantly with antibiotics.

The excessive use of antibiotics which that is unnecessary for 40% of cases increases the anti-microbial resistance of the herd, decreases life expectancy, and increases milk wastage, leading to negative environmental impact and significant costs. 

Biotangents developed its technology to enable farmers to make an informed treatment decision. Its solution comprises a cost effective, innovative on-farm molecular diagnostic device that provides highly accurate results in less than two hours. 

“Biotangents is on the cusp of full market launch with a technology that leads to better herd health, much improved productivity, and significantly higher levels of sustainability,” said CEO of Biotangents, Fiona Marshall.

Biotangents sees future applications for its technology not only in animal health, but also in human healthcare and environmental monitoring. Following the investment, Biotangents will commence on-farm trials across the UK and internationally later next year.

Monarch MK-V tractor demonstrating V2G through Borg Warner DCFC and Gridtractor CMS. (Image source: Gridtractor)

Equipment

Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 

One of the project's key components is the development of a mobile application that provides farmers with real-time weather data. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Machinery & Equipment

As harsh weather conditions continue to hamper food security strategies globally, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Leicester aims at getting more farmers in Kenya to harness the insights of Earth Observation (EO) technologies

Extreme weather events have led to reduced agricultural yields, especially for those in Sub-Saharan Africa that largely depend on rain-fed agriculture. 

A PhD project at University of Leicester focuses on exploring how EO technologies such as remote sensing, satellite monitoring and land surface models for weather predictions and soil moisture assessments can equip farmers with the necessary data to make informed agricultural decisions.

One of the project's key components is the development of a mobile application that provides farmers with real-time weather data, which empowers them to plan their agricultural activities with greater accuracy. 

“Earth Observation technologies provide a strategic solution to enhance better farming practices but require better strategies for communicating with farmers to allay any ethical and environmental fears and improve their adoption,” said Fiona Imbali, PhD student in the University of Leicester School of Geography, Geology, and Environment. “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the importance of working with local communities and respecting their indigenous knowledge for climate governance and this research will be working with indigenous farming communities to develop participatory science communication strategies for the adoption of EO technologies.”

In addition, she also emphasised how the disregarding women’s challenges would also hamper technology adoption. “This study will engage communities from the onset of the research to understand their challenges, priorities, as well as their socio-cultural perspectives and more so for the women who have always been considered as a homogenous group in order to develop participatory, inclusive communication approaches,” Imbali added. 

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