Automatic steering systems for planting rows accurate to within 2.5 cm and weed control using electricity: the new precision in agriculture is made possible through the application of technology combined with tailored advising. That’s why our specialists at Bucher Landtechnik’s Precision Center work closely with customers to address their very specific needs. Based on their intensive contact with the customer, they develop and provide training for individual smart farming solutions that network machines – regardless of manufacturer – so resource consumption is reduced while yields are increased, and safety and comfort in everyday work is enhanced. 

Interview with

André Laubacher
Precision Center
Bucher Landtechnik

What does your cooperation with farmers look like in everyday business?

”Knowledge of smart farming is not yet widespread among all dealers. That’s why we at the Precision Center are often out in the field – working directly with end customers, farmers and contractors. They operate the demonstration vehicles themselves and can immediately see the advantages of such high-precision products.”
 

How does smart farming technology affect the everyday life of farmers?

”The use of high-precision agricultural machinery reduces the consumption of fertiliser and crop protection products, protects the soil and makes work more efficient. This machinery is more expensive to buy. However, once the customer decides to go this way, he never regrets it. We are seeing increasing demand for high precision in agriculture. Automatic steering systems and products for weed control using electricity are in particular demand. With GPS-based systems, field work is possible even at dusk, without compromising accuracy. This allows farmers to work longer, while enjoying greater comfort at the same time.”
 

What advantages does the Precision Center of Bucher Landtechnik offer its customers?

“By providing personal, onsite advice tailored to individual needs, we create a strong relationship of trust with our customers, who receive everything they need from a single source. The Precision Center knows its customers, looks after them over many years and is able to retrofit all makes of agricultural machinery with high-precision instruments. This is a great advantage over the individual manufacturers themselves, who only equip their own products.”

“The key is real interaction, face-to-face and on site.“

André Lauber, Bucher Landtechnik, Niederweningen

André Laubacher
Precision Center
Bucher Landtechnik

Interview with

Ernst Mülli 
Mülli Kofer, contractor, Niederweningen

You have your vehicles retrofitted with smart farming technology. Why is that?

”Thanks to the automatic steering system that now controls my tractor and seed drill, I am less exhausted at the end of a long working day. This machinery follows the planting row all on its own, allowing me to conduct phone calls with my customers at the same time from the driver’s cab. So, for me I am investing directly in my well-being and efficiency.”
 

How does this automatic steering system work in practice?

”As soon as the tractor and the seed drill are in a row, they follow it automatically. At the end of it, I only have to do the turn and drive to the next one, always skipping one row. I can just keep going straight ahead without having to circle. Then I can go back later and do the row I skipped. The steering system tells me exactly where it is. This has made sowing much more precise than I could ever have achieved manually. For me, it means I have less seed loss and thus financial benefits. And because there is no overlapping, I need fewer passes. That is also good for the soil because fewer passes means less soil compaction. Plus, precision sowing makes harvesting easier for me – because the plants grow at perfect intervals.”

“The steering system calculates where the next row is positioned.“

Ernst Mülli, Landwirt in Niederweningen, Kunde von Bucher Landtechnik

Ernst Mülli
Mülli Kofer, contractor, Niederweningen

Success story from the 2019 annual report