(file photo/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Jun 27, 2023 | 12:21 PM

The Brandt Group of Companies, headquartered in Regina, Sask., have reached an agreement to acquire the assets of Wairarapa Machinery Services in New Zealand.

Wairarapa Machinery has carried new and used farm and lawncare equipment since 1983.

Brandt CEO Shaun Semple said combining all the Deere dealerships on the North Island under one banner will result in more comprehensive support for New Zealand farmers and contractors.

“We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and earn the loyalty of Wairarapa’s customers through a combination of premium products and services and a consistent, high-quality customer support experience,” Semple said.

With this acquisition, Wairarapa Machinery becomes part of a multi store dealer group in 17 locations across the North Island.

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The agreement is subject to the customary closing conditions and is expected to close on Aug. 31.

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Bayer Crop Science Israel has concluded a collaboration with Fermata on a model for reducing the use of pesticides through the application of artificial intelligence.

The project involved conducting a feasibility study of Fermata’s automated pest and disease detection platform, Croptimus, with the goal of verifying the capabilities of the system and proving how early detection of pests and disease increases sustainability.

Croptimus was installed to monitor melons growing in mesh covered tunnels within this harsh environment.

The system employs AI to analyze thousands of images collected daily by cameras installed within the facility to detect the tiniest pests and pathogens and dramatically reduce scouting time.

Bayer Israel Crop Protection Customer Advisory Manager Imri Gabay said the initial experiment was extremely successful and the system copes well with the many challenges in the field.

“Early detection enables the application of less toxic substances, quickly dealing with the pest or disease before a major outbreak, allowing for precise spraying of a small area and as a result, saving pesticides while obtaining cleaner produce,” Gabay said.

Fermata CEO Valeria Kogan said the work with Bayer reduced the amount of chemicals applied by growers and they look forward to continuing collaboration and making the AI for early pest and disease detection available to farmers around the globe.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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