DULUTH, GEORGIA, US — AGCO Corp. is looking to help its customers produce more with less inputs, resulting in more profitability.

“I think it’s the coolest time to be in agriculture because a lot of challenges can be addressed, or should be addressed with innovation,” said Stefan Caspari, senior vice president and general manager, Grain & Protein, in an interview with World Grain.

AGCO’s Grain and Protein business includes GSI, specializing in grain storage and handling and Cimbria, offering advanced processing and turnkey solutions. On the protein side, AP provides integrated systems for swine producers while Cumberland offers poultry solutions and Tecno provides egg solutions.

“We are offering solutions to our customers across the entire value chain, addressing all of their costs and yield potential, not just on the field, but across the entire value chain,” he said.  

AGCO provides solutions to the macro trends impacting agriculture right now, including increased protein demand coupled with more competition for fewer acres of farmland, and the increased focus on sustainability, Caspari said.

Solving those challenges requires connecting customers by enabling equipment to deliver actionable data.

“The ultimate goal is to automate the equipment,” Caspari said. “We hear from a lot customers that they are having a hard time getting labor and skilled labor.”

On the grain side, farmers work hard to maximize output from the fields but then lose a significant portion of the harvest in storage, he said.

“If we optimize the management system and bin operations, there’s a lot of efficiency and profitability potential,” Caspari said. “Automation needs a lot of data and we’re driving to connect our equipment and collect data, and with AI on top of that, we can ultimately optimize the performance. It’s an exciting time.”

For grain storage, AGCO is developing GSI Connect, a user interface where customers can control equipment through a mobile phone, tablet or computer.

“Our vision is to have a fully automated grain elevator,” Caspari said.

This includes an automated probe that samples grain on arrival followed by BinRite, an AI-based system that directs the grain to the correct bin, avoiding costly errors.  

The first capability of GSI Connect will be the ability to monitor and control dryers remotely, and set parameters so grain isn’t over dried.

Lastly, GrainVue is a bin monitoring system that allows for early detection of any issues that may be happening in the bin. It can detect CO₂, check temperature and moisture and automatically activate fans to prevent out-of-condition issues.

“The industry could benefit from a lights out elevator in the future, where automation is to a point where they don’t need physical staff to run their operations,” Caspari said. “We’re not there yet, there is still some work and research to be done.”

Innovations in AGCO’s Cimbria brand include its optical sorter business that include tailored solutions based on customers’ goals. The sorters use cameras to sort and clean grain and other materials at a very high speed.

“This equipment is high tech and also based on AI because the machines are self-learning all the time,” he said.