Category: Partnership

In April 2023, Eurasia Group Kazakhstan and GeoPard Agriculture entered into a partnership agreement to bring the new GeoPard Agriculture solution to the markets of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The two companies share a common goal: to contribute to the sustainable development of agriculture in Kazakhstan by introducing precision farming solutions and optimizing crop production throughout the agricultural year.

The cooperation is aimed to support farmers who are looking for new and practical ways to optimize and automate crop production processes, increase the profitability of their business, and reduce  environmental footprint.

Vladimir Klinkov, Managing Director and Co-founder of GeoPard Agriculture: “We are very excited to launch our solution for precision and sustainable agriculture in the Kazakh market. GeoPard Agriculture utilizes cutting-edge technologies, including cloud computing for processing vast volumes of geospatial data, artificial intelligence, and analyzes field data from all possible sources. The GeoPard team has been working in the field of agriculture and developing digital solutions since 2012, and now it has brought its expertise to the lands of Kazakhstan. We automate precision farming expertise and offer a solution at the most reasonable price with the best quality.”

Customers can manage productivity and analyze factors affecting field heterogeneity and yield, identify locations for soil sampling based on productivity zones, perform field monitoring and scouting, create variable rate application (VRA) maps for seeding, fertilizing, crop protection products, and growth regulators applications.

“The GeoPard Agriculture solution is unique in that it provides comprehensive analytics across a large number of data layers, relying on yield maps, soil analysis, air moisture and vegetation moisture indicators over a multi-year period. The software is based on 35 years of NDVI satellite image data for each specific field, and then, at his discretion, the farmer can load other indicators into it with our help. The program will analyze the data and productivity of the field areas, making prescriptions for further differentiated application of seeds and fertilizers. This, above all, will lead to savings in seeds and fertilizers, and increase the yield and efficiency of the agricultural business,” commented Evgeny Chesnokov, Director of Agricultural Management Division of Eurasia Group Kazakhstan.

The GeoPard Agriculture solution was tested in the fields of Kazakhstan this year and is already actively used by Kazakh farmers.

About the companies:

GeoPard Agriculture is a leading provider of precision farming software. The company was founded in 2019 in Cologne, Germany and is represented globally. The company offers a range of solutions that help farmers optimize their operations and increase yields.

With a focus on sustainability and regenerative economics, GeoPard Agriculture aims to promote precision farming practices around the world.

The company’s clients and partners include such well-known brands as John Deere, Corteva Agriscience, ICL, Pfeifer & Langen, IOWA Soybean Association, Kernel, MHP, SureGrowth and many others.

Eurasia Group Kazakhstan is the Kazakh representative office of Swiss company Eurasia Group AG, an official dealer of John Deere in the Republic of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan since 2002. The company delivers solutions for agriculture from leading world manufacturers like JCB, Väderstad , GRIMME, Lindsay, covering all areas of crop and horticulture.

Eurasia Group Kazakhstan pays great attention during all its activity to the technologies of precise agriculture, completing the line of machinery with products of digitalization of agriculture.

Eurasia Group Kazakhstan has an extensive regional network – 14 regional offices in Kazakhstan and one in Kyrgyzstan, more than 550 employees, of which almost half – after-sales service employees, its own department of agricultural management and digitalization.

Over the years, more than 13,000 units of equipment have been supplied to Kazakhstan and 4.4 million hectares of land have been digitized. This year the company celebrates its 25th anniversary.

I had a great time at the Smart Farming Days exhibition where GeoPard Agriculture, as a member of the Agrirouter association DKE Data GmbH & Co. KG, had a stand. It was an excellent opportunity to connect (and reconnect) with #AgTech enthusiasts and learn about the latest industry advancements, particularly in machinery data exchange and usage.

Here are some key insights from the event:

Agrirouter is gaining recognition as a standard in the agricultural industry. More machinery producers are supporting it by default and displaying the “ready for agrirouter” label. In short, Agrirouter is an open data exchange platform that enables seamless data transfer and integration between different agricultural machinery and software solutions.

When discussing trends in agricultural machinery, I would like to highlight:

• Versatility, where machines can perform multiple operations in one pass to reduce the number of field visits. For example, the PRIOS 404 exhibited by GRIMME combines soil cultivation, potato planting, fertilizing, seed dressing, and ridge shaping.
• Real-time calculations on agricultural machinery, such as spot spraying based on computer vision. This approach reduces overall chemical use by targeting specific areas on the run. Check out the exhibited Ecorobotix ARA.
• Autonomy in agricultural machinery.
• Open data connectivity.

I was especially pleased to see the great interest in the development of AgTech from technical universities to keep up to date with new developments and share knowledge with students, future AgTech innovators. Regards to Simon Grebner and Maximilian Treiber from the Technical University of Munich.

Marc Favier from RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau is leveraging digital farming software to organize a workshop that aims to educate farmers about precision farming technologies.

It was exciting also to see more farmers adopting #PrecisionAg tech. I was asked about high-density soil scanners to prepare VR irrigation and fertilizing. Companies like geo-konzept GmbH and Geoprospectors GmbH offer soil scanning services, and GeoPard Agriculture is a handy tool for transforming the data into actionable VRA strategies.

Reporting Ag inputs applications for regulatory purposes is getting attention as well. Farmers need to record field operations, and machinery data about executed operations simplifies the process. There were solutions presented specifically targeting this topic. At GeoPard Agriculture, we are adding the possibility to generate PDF reports from as-applied maps and other analytics.

I also had the opportunity to discuss various topics with industry experts and business partners:

• The “Digital Label Compliance” initiative, expertly explained by Martin Herchenbach, aims to use standardized digital labels for crop protection. The labels contain information from authorities and manufacturers on how to use the product. Farmers can access the information by scanning a code on the packaging or directly in the Farm Management Systems, which connects to a centralized database.
• Spot spraying was a hot topic, and I had an insightful conversation with Dr. Robin Mink, co-founder of SAM-DIMENSION precision farming start-up. Their service involves flying a drone over a field (just 30 minutes for a 40ha field), running weed detection in the cloud, and creating a spraying map. The spraying is then done by a tractor on the same day (could be even 2-3 hours after flight). It allows for optimizing herbicide usage and avoiding visiting non-weed areas. Since the model is cloud-based it can be easily adjusted and retrained based on the new datasets.
• Nicole Bartelds highlighted the reporting for regulations topic and the importance of knowing historical field operations for better planning. I am looking forward to her training program for farmers, agronomists, and ag consultants on Precision Ag!
• Gottfried Pessl emphasized the value of real-time weather and soil moisture data for agricultural operations, yield prediction, and historical weather data for land assessments, particularly in vineyards.
• The importance of integrating machinery data into digital farming solutions through platforms like Agrirouter and JD Operation Center was discussed with Thomas Schilling
• With Nikola Strah we explored the synergies between high spatial and temporal resolution Planet remote sensing data and ground-level data for agricultural insights.
• With Tamme van der Wal and Matthias Lautenschläger we delved into the market readiness for precision agriculture adoption topic, emphasizing the need for reliable, affordable, and easy-to-use technologies for farmers. Separately touched on the use of drones for spraying and authorization challenges in Germany and the Netherlands. Tamme, I hope you write the “30 Years of Precision Ag” book someday!

Attending AgTech exhibitions is always an enriching experience. By working collaboratively, we can drive positive change and make farming more sustainable and efficient.

GeoPard is thrilled to announce their participation in the EIT Food Accelerator Network program. This program is aimed at accelerating the technology revolution in agriculture and food systems.

GeoPard is excited to collaborate with other agtech and foodtech startups from all over Europe and is looking forward to taking part in the upcoming cohort, which is set to start this week.

The EIT Food Accelerator Network is a European network of support programs for startups, which aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the agrifood sector.

The program provides training, mentorship, and resources to help startups accelerate their tech validation and business growth towards successful market adoption.

As a participant in the EIT Food Accelerator Network program, GeoPard Agriculture will have access to a wide range of resources and support, including expert mentorship, investment opportunities, and networking events.

This will enable the company to accelerate its development and growth, and to bring its innovative solutions to the market more quickly.

GeoPard Agriculture is a technology company that specializes in precision agriculture. The company’s solutions help farmers optimize their crop management by providing real-time data and analytics on soil moisture, temperature, and other key factors.

By using GeoPard’s technology, farmers can make more informed decisions about irrigation, fertilization, and other important aspects of crop management, which can ultimately lead to higher yields and better quality crops.

The company’s participation in the EIT Food Accelerator Network program is an important step in its growth trajectory.

By collaborating with other startups and receiving support from the program, GeoPard Agriculture will be able to accelerate its development and bring its innovative solutions to market more quickly.

The program’s focus on the technology revolution in agriculture and food systems is also in line with GeoPard’s mission to make agriculture more sustainable and efficient.

GeoPard Agriculture is proud to announce that Strube D&S GmbH, known worldwide for the great diversity of high-quality seeds, has joined the GeoPard partner program.

Customers of Strube BeetControl app (the precise analysis and prognosis of leaf diseases) will now be able to streamline their workflow with GeoPard powerhouse analytics including monitoring, scouting and adoption of precision agriculture practices.

GeoPard is used to determine exact location where nematodes are potentially present on sugar beet fields. Nematode damage detection is based on a remote sensing and historical development of the field. Soil samples are analysed for nematodes at the Strube laboratory, followed by advice from a cultivation consultant.

We are glad to announce that the “5G networks as an enabler for real-time learning in sustainable farming” project was selected for partial funding by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The project is researching how 5G can be used to make the agricultural process more ecological, economical and sustainable. The low latency of 5G makes it possible to integrate information technology systems into the process in real time and to react to sensor and position data within defined response times.

Together with our partner HSHL and the associated partner Pfeifer & Langen, the process of sugar beet cultivation from initial planting to harvesting is being examined on the partner’s fields to show how 5G can act as an enabler technology in the agricultural sector of NRW.

Project kick-off meeting on the field with representatives of Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt, FlyPard Analytics GmbH and Pfeifer & Langen GmbH & Co. KG.

Role of 5G Network in Agriculture

5G networks, characterized by improved connectivity, reduced latency, and high-speed data transmission, possess the potential to substantially impact the agricultural industry. This state-of-the-art technology can accommodate various applications and innovations in agriculture, resulting in heightened efficiency, sustainability, and productivity. The following are some primary functions of 5G networks in agriculture:

• Precision agriculture: 5G connectivity allows for real-time data acquisition, processing, and analysis from multiple sensors and devices, such as soil moisture sensors, weather monitoring stations, and drones. This empowers farmers to make data-informed decisions and implement precision agriculture practices, including targeted irrigation, fertilization, and pest management.
• Remote monitoring and control: The reduced latency and high-speed data transfer capabilities of 5G networks enable real-time remote supervision and control of farming equipment and machinery. This leads to more effective resource allocation, lowered labor costs, and enhanced safety.
• Autonomous farming: 5G networks facilitate the deployment of autonomous farming equipment, including self-driving tractors, harvesters, and drones. High-speed connectivity and low latency allow these machines to communicate with each other and make real-time adjustments, improving efficiency and minimizing human intervention.
• Smart livestock management: 5G connectivity supports the use of IoT devices, such as smart collars and wearables, to monitor livestock health, location, and behavior in real-time. This helps farmers optimize feeding, breeding, and healthcare strategies, improving animal welfare and productivity.
• Supply chain traceability: 5G networks can aid in the implementation of blockchain technology and IoT devices to monitor and track agricultural products throughout the supply chain. This improves traceability, strengthens food safety, and reduces waste.
• Enhanced rural connectivity: 5G networks can help bridge the digital divide by providing high-speed internet access to rural and remote areas. This allows farmers to access online resources, tools, and services, fostering knowledge sharing, capacity building, and market access.
• Virtual and augmented reality: 5G network can support the use of virtual and augmented reality applications in agriculture, such as remote training, equipment maintenance, and crop monitoring. This assists farmers in acquiring new skills, enhancing decision-making, and increasing efficiency.

In summary, 5G networks can play a vital role in modernizing and transforming the agricultural sector by enabling a wide array of applications and innovations. High-speed connectivity, reduced latency, and enhanced capacity of 5G can support the adoption of advanced technologies, resulting in increased productivity, sustainability, and overall growth in the industry.

About 300 companies applied for participation in the intense three-month Acceleration Program by RootCamp. But only 7 of them have been chosen as international AgriTech startups to join.

One of them is an agriculture intelligence platform based in Cologne, Germany called GeoPard. In short, GeoPard helps to automate the agronomic workflows like season planning, to fertilize, seeding, harvesting, and so on by streamlining them all in one system.

To do so, GeoPard uses cutting-edge spatial data analytics and AI algorithms and focuses on making sustainable and profitable precision agriculture solutions accessible and affordable to all agribusinesses.

Data products provided by GeoPard include soil sampling analytics, crop monitoring, field benchmarking, and Variable Rate application maps for agricultural in-season operations (like seeding, fertilizing, crop protection, and herbicides).

Some Unique Data Products of GeoPard Presented in Rootcamp

GeoPard focuses on building a Digital Twin of any agricultural field by aggregating all available data layers obtained through various methods and technologies. Moreover, some of the salient advantages that make GeoPard stand out from a crowd of similar products include:

1. An attractive business model for all business sizes: GeoPard users only pay for consumed analytics with no extra costs. GeoPard offers several plans to choose from according to the customer’s size.

The pricing model is based on an AWS-like pay-as-you-go credits approach that ensures that our offer remains affordable for all sizes of agricultural businesses. GeoPard also boasts a service that ensures delivery of the branded precision agriculture solution in just 2 weeks.

2. Independence and non-biasedness: About 0.5M data points are generated per day per farm as of 2021 and this number will be x6 during the next 10 years.

As data becomes more and more valuable, their security and protection become equally important, especially while dealing with massive data like this. So it is noteworthy that GeoPard is not affiliated with any agricultural corporation and all the data is owned by the user and is definitely not for sale.

3. Level of automation and analytics capabilities: The whole point of precision agriculture is to optimize the usage of agricultural inputs and maximize yield via data-driven decisions.

Efficiently dealing with such a huge amount of data requires increasing automation and decreasing manual work. GeoPard achieves this by establishing a platform that automatically collects data layers, standardizes them, and streamlines agricultural field insights on top.

So GeoPard customers focus on efficient data-driven decisions instead of struggling with manual data processing.

Another highlight of GeoPard is its user-friendly web and mobile interfaces. Along with the web and mobile interfaces, GeoPard provides integration capabilities like API, widgets, White Label, and On-premise solutions.

GeoPard also provides a quick assistance service that can help customers anytime. Ongoing communication with the customers and partners, consultants, and business is of prime importance in both the past and future of this company.

GeoPard aims to improve the adoption of precision farming technologies, ensure efficient and sustainable crop production, and offer high-quality and adaptable data products.

The overall operation of GeoPard in the field of sustainable precision agriculture is based on using the most sophisticated technologies for data capturing, streamlining of analytics, and dissemination while ensuring that customers have the most practical experience and the highest ROI using data products from GeoPard.

Having specialized in precision farming technologies to maximize the efficiency of all agribusinesses, GeoPard plans to venture more into data products for sustainability, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration in the future.

To dive deeper into GeoPard, its services, its vision, and its plan for the future from one of the founders, you can watch this video or read more on this blog.