5th International VDI Conference - Smart Farming
- Explore the many ways in which Smart Farming can have strategic benefits for your business
- Discuss recent trends and developments with leading international experts in the field
- Register for the “Smart Farming” conference and visit our parallel conferences on “Connected Off-Highway Machines” and “Electrified Off-Highway Machines” at no additional cost

The 5th International VDI Conference on “Smart Farming 2021” will be held in Dusseldorf (Germany) from May 19th to 20th, 2021. Supported by national and international experts, the conference brings together over 100 thought leaders in cutting edge agri-industry solutions. As an actor in the farming industry, you cannot get around “Smart Farming” and its implications for your business. Smart Farming is a buzzword for engineers in the agricultural fields. And rightly so: Utilizing smart IT, drones, and other advanced technologies and – crucially – networking these assets, results in higher yields, more economic use of resources, as well as higher efficiency.
Application of smart technology in agribusiness
Providing farmers with the right technology allows them to optimize (moreover: minimize!) their use of pesticides and the like while maintaining a high output with reasonable investments.
Program
Take a look at the focus topics 2021:
• AI empowered Modular Robotic Farming – Towards Affordable Solutions
• Automation and Robotics in Agriculture
• Smart Sensor Technology – How a Tractor Implement Obtains Intelligence?
• Data Rights and Data Transactions for Smart Farming
• Accelerating Crop Innovation with CRISPR Technology
09:00 | Registration & Welcome Coffee |
10:00 | Chair’s Welcome and Opening Address |
I. What’s Next in Smart Farming | |
10:15 | Opening KeynoteAccelerating Crop Innovation with CRISPR Technology
Tom Adams, CEO, Pairwise, USA |
10:45 | Smart Sensor Technology – How a Tractor Implement Obtains Intelligence?
Stephan Ackermann, Director Product Management, PÖTTINGER Landtechnik GmbH, Austria |
11:15 | New Digital Services Directly on the Machine – Open, Neutral, Reliable
Thomas Kirste, Head of Business Development & Micha Münzenmay, Head of Technology & CEO, both: NEVONEX, Germany |
11:45 | Why Safe Positioning is Vital for Autonomous Vehicles
James Szabo, Agriculture Autonomy Product Manager, NovAtel, Canada |
12:15 | Lunch |
II. Ag Data Standards & Collaboration | |
13:45 | Hardware to Insights: Value, Scale and the Role of Standards in IoT
Dr. R. Andres Ferreyra, Data Asset Manager, co-author: Dr. Diganta Adhikari, Head of On-Farm IoT, both: Syngenta Digital, USA |
14:15 | Agricultural Industry Develops a Standard for Data Exchange
Dipl. Ing. Norbert Schlingmann, General Manager, Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation AEF e.V., Germany |
14:45 | The ADAPT Data Model. Yet Another Data Exchange Format?
Frank Wiebeler, Freelancer for DKE Data GmbH&Co KG, Germany |
15:15 | Networking & Coffee Break |
15:45 | OEM KeynoteUse of Consumer Electronics for On Board Machine Monitoring and Data Visualisation
Mark Phelan, Product management specialist, AGCO GmbH, Germany |
III. Ag Law | |
16:15 | Data Rights and Data Transactions for Smart Farming
Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke, Director of the European Legal Studies Institute & Prof. Dr. Mary-Rose McGuire, Chair for Private Law, Intellectual Property Law, German & European Civil Procedure, both: Osnabrück University, Germany |
16:45 | Ag Data Contracts: Increasing Transparency Between Farmers and Tech Providers
Todd J. Janzen, Administrator, Ag Data Transparent, USA |
17:15 | End of Conference Day One |
17:30 | Get-together |
IV. Startup SessionThis session will give three startups a chance to briefly introduce themselves. Learn what these new players’ perspective on smart farming in 2021 is: | |
10:00 | Importance of Mixing Agriculture Data in Precision Farming and Carbon Farming
Francois Thierart, CEO and Co-founder, MyEasyFarm, France |
10:20 | From Reflections to Insights: The First Digital Entomologist
Laurence Still, Data Team Lead, FaunaPhotonics, Denmark |
10:40 | Under-canopy: The Missing Piece in Agricultural Autonomy and AI
Chinmay Soman, PhD, Co-founder & CEO, EarthSense Inc., USA |
11:00 | Networking & Coffee Break |
11:30 | Interactive Round Table SessionDuring the interactive Round Table Session, we invite you to directly engage with other experts. The discussions are moderated by experts in an array of fields revolving around smart farming. Discuss and identify challenges within your sector as well as problems, needs, and solutions. Choose your preferred topic from the list below and introduce your own experiences and questions.
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12:30 | Lunch |
V. Automation and Robotics | |
13:30 | AI Empowered Modular Robotic Farming – Towards Affordable Solutions for Agriculture
Thiemo Buchner, Project Lead Contadino, Artificial Intelligence (he[a]t), co-authors: Oliver Horeth, ML Scientist & Andreas Mandl, Head of Robotics and AI Products, all: Continental AG, Germany |
14:00 | About Evaluating Localized Spraying Performance from the End User Perspective
Colin Chaballier, General manager, co-author: Matthieu Hemmerle, Agronomy and sensors manager, both: EXXACT Robotics, France |
14:30 | Networking & Coffee Break |
15:00 | Gold Standard of Soil Preparation with Autonomous Electric Tractors
Bakur Kvezereli, CEO and Founder, Ztractor Inc., USA |
15:30 | The Farm of the Future – The ‘Hands Free Farm’
Jonathan Gill, Mechatronics Researcher & UAV Pilot, Co-creator of ‘The Hands Free Hectare’ &’ Hands Free Farm’, Harper Adams University, UK |
16:00 | Closing Remarks |
16:15 | End of Conference |
Who is the conference for?
This conference will bring people from the following fields together:
- Developers and Product Managers in manufacturing of agricultural machines
- Active farmers and cooperative farm holders (Big Farm)
- Suppliers of agricultural equipment and components
- Robotics manufacturers focusing on farming applications
- Key players in the agri-chemical industry
- Logistics providers for agricultural applications
- Ministries & Departments of Agriculture from different countries
- Agricultural Research Agencies, Associations & Unions as well as Universities & Colleges
Do you have a story to tell? Become a speaker – Interact with key players in the agricultural industry and discuss best practice examples with other international experts.
If you have any questions or need further information please contact Dr. Maria Georgiou-Smith.
Are you interested in promoting your company and products at the 5th International VDI Conference “Smart Farming”? Contact ulbrichvdide for more details.
Don’t miss out!
Do you want to find out about the latest trends in Smart Farming? Would you like to learn how to utilize digital transformation in your agri-business? Then book your ticket for the "Smart Farming" conference now.
You can reach us at:
+49(0)2116214-201
+49(0)2116214-154
wissensforum@vdi.de
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