Focus on tractors as well as automation and autonomy in agricultural technology at the 24th joint conference "LAND.TECHNIK for professionals" by DLG and VDI-MEG on February 12 and 13, 2025 – Central question: "Without a driver in the field – vision or reality?" – More than 200 participants and renowned speakers – Discussions on pioneering developments – Hosted by AgXeed in Venlo (Netherlands)
At the heart of the 24th specialist conference "LAND.TECHNIK for professionals" on February 12 and 13, 2025, in Venlo (Netherlands), was the central question of whether operating in the field without a driver is a vision or reality. The conference, jointly organized by DLG (German Agricultural Society) and VDI-MEG (Max Eyth Society within the Association of German Engineers), took place at AgXeed and was hosted at the Brightlands Campus Greenport in Venlo.
With over 230 participants – including a large number of practitioners – the event was nearly sold out. The topic of tractors, in the context of automation and autonomy in agricultural technology, was examined comprehensively from all key perspectives. Renowned speakers provided valuable insights into regulatory frameworks, practical technical requirements, existing challenges, and obstacles. The conference also offered an outlook on future technological trends and facilitated in-depth discussions with the audience. A factory tour and various networking opportunities rounded off the event.
"This conference was held for the 10th time in the now well-established cooperation between VDI-MEG and DLG," noted Dr. Markus Demmel, Chairman of VDI-MEG from the Bavarian State Institute for Agriculture in Freising, in his opening remarks, highlighting this small anniversary within the now 24th "LAND.TECHNIK for professionals" event. With more than 230 participants, the conference was, as in many previous years, almost fully booked. However, DLG Vice President Philipp Schulze Esking emphasized that the perspective on autonomy should not be solely technology-driven. From his agricultural practice-oriented viewpoint, he made it clear that skilled professionals are essential to fully exploit the potential of modern machinery.
Host Joris Hiddema went beyond presenting the company AgXeed and took a nearly philosophical approach to the broad topic of autonomy. With the slogan "Autonomy is a human right!" he underscored the importance of a sustainable intensification of agriculture while preserving natural resources as much as possible.**
Diverse Influences of Regulatory Frameworks
How high the expectations for a future-proof agriculture are—especially regarding sustainability and food security, even from the political and administrative sphere—was made clear by Dr. Josef Goos from the Federal Information Center for Agriculture (BZL) in Bonn: "The use of digital technologies and solutions offers great potential." In his presentation, he also summarized the diverse funding landscape of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Paul Neufeldt, a contractor from Jeromin Agrar GmbH & Co. KG in Erxleben, shared insights on how an agricultural robot has proven itself in practice. Although the error rate in unattended operations significantly decreased after initial difficulties, he had a clear demand for developers: "Autonomous machines need the competence for self-help." In other words, the robot must be able to recognize typical situations, such as a cultivator clogging, and take appropriate action to resolve them.
Sebastian Henrichsmann from Agravis Technik Holding GmbH in Hanover examined the unique challenges of marketing (semi-)autonomous systems. Like other complex products that require explanation, he emphasized: "When it comes to autonomy, you have to find the added value together with the customer."
The second session of this major topic block began with Prof. Dr. Peter Breunig from Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, who explored the drivers that could lead to fundamental changes in agricultural processes. He sees AI agents playing an increasingly important role, stating: "AI agents can independently execute digital processes."
Torben Ehmcke-Kasch from Hanse-Agro Unternehmensberatung GmbH in Hanover analyzed the economic aspects of autonomous technology. His key takeaway: "The individual farm situation determines the use of robotics."
Finally, Prof. Dr. Stefan Böttinger from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart discussed the concept of "breaking systems instead of stagnation," highlighting innovation as the key to the future. He pointed out the great potential already available today through assistance systems: "Throughput performance also increases thanks to intelligent adjustment and monitoring systems."
Automation and Autonomy with a Wide Range of Applications
In the final session of the first conference day, Dr. Johannes Hipp from VDMA e.V. Agricultural Engineering in Frankfurt provided an overview of various concepts, standards, and international initiatives in transferring autonomous applications from development to real-world use. His main insight: "Autonomy in agricultural technology differs significantly from other fields," which he illustrated by comparing the requirements of autonomous driving on roads versus in fields.
Lars Schmitz from the host company AgXeed in neighboring Grubbenvorst and Dr. Alexander Grever from Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG in Spelle addressed the cross-manufacturer question of what the workday with autonomous systems looks like today and how it might evolve in the future. For them, the interface on PCs, tablets, and smartphones represents "the digital cab."
Grever was confident that agricultural robotics is available, functional, and here to stay. However, Schmitz tempered the optimism slightly by calling on manufacturers to ensure better communication between robots and implements. This issue of control and regulation in tractor-implement combinations was the focus of the presentation by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Albert Stoll from the University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Environment in Nürtingen-Geislingen. In his view, "control and regulation units in tractor-implement combinations are already at a high and versatile level," though there is still room for improvement.
Applications in Practice
A certain skepticism from the user perspective was evident in Dr. Markus Demmel from the Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture in Freising-Weihenstephan, who moderated the first session of the second conference day. His deliberately exaggerated statement—"The so-called digitalization desert exists everywhere in Germany"—provided a counterpoint of realism to the technical optimism of the developers.
His colleague Stefan Kopfinger from the Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture in Ruhstorf an der Rott focused on small specialized field robots and technologies operating individually or in swarms. Ultimately, he emphasized the human factor, which is still difficult to replace. In his opinion, monitoring implements—something a human driver does almost incidentally—is currently "the bottleneck of unattended autonomy."
Dr. Arne Bohl from CLAAS KGaA mbH in Harsewinkel, who examined the human role in the transition from highly automated to autonomous systems, agreed: "It won’t work entirely without people."
Dr. Peter Risser from Südzucker AG in Mannheim shared insights from the company's experience with various agricultural robot systems. He expects the diversity of implements currently seen in Europe to remain a feature of agricultural robotics in the future. According to him, "there will be a mix of different systems."
Stefan Kiefer from AMAZONEN-WERKE H. DREYER SE & Co. KG in Hasbergen-Gaste raised the question of what is truly needed in arable farming to be "ready for autonomy" through process monitoring. He cautioned against focusing too much on the engineering and developer perspective, arguing that practitioners can quickly recognize over-engineering and instead would "simply recommend using the right machine."
Eva Schröer-Merker from Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG in Spelle supported the idea that "the process should set the pace for autonomy." Meanwhile, Stefan Haverkamp from Lemken GmbH & Co. KG in Alpen, drawing from experiences with the "Combined Powers" initiative of both companies, noted that periods of peak workload "can be a good starting point for autonomy."
Following an engaging panel discussion moderated by Roland Hörner, Head of Agricultural Engineering at the DLG Competence Center for Agriculture, which revisited the key points of the past two days, Dr. Hartmut Matthes, Managing Director of the BLU Federal Association of Contractors and Chairman of the program committee for "LAND.TECHNIK for professionals," summarized the key insights from each speaker. He reminded the audience that autonomous operation is not an end in itself but serves a greater purpose. In conclusion, he reaffirmed that certain steps in agricultural work processes have the potential for autonomy in the future and repeated a statement made earlier in the conference: "Agricultural robotics is available, functional, and firmly established.
