NEXAT wins gold medal at the DLG Innovation Awards 2022

• NEXAT’s holistic crop production system convinces the German Agricultural Society at the Innovation Awards for Agritechnica 2022

NEXAT GmbH and Kalverkamp Innovation GmbH in Niedersachsenpark near Rieste has won the gold award at this year’s DLG Innovation Awards.  This marks the culmination of years of challenging development work by the two companies.

The focus of the award is the development of a globally novel, holistic crop production system based on an electrically driven wide-span interchangeable carrier vehicle. This “all-in-one system tractor” handles all work steps, from soil cultivation to sowing, crop protection and harvesting. For this purpose, the machine technology required in each case can be installed modularly in the system tractor via a quick-change system; additional, separate undercarriages are no longer required. Due to the always constant working width (6-24 m), the new crop production system ensures the full use of Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) and is prepared for full autonomisation.

Due to the system, 95 % of the total arable area is never overrun again with NEXAT. As a result, the maximum yield potential unfolds while maximum soil and environmental protection is possible. Particularly noteworthy is the possibility of sustainable soil improvement through continuous humus build-up, significant CO2savings (carbon farming), and the sustainable protection of valuable arable land from erosion by wind and water.

From the very beginning the issue of sustainability played the central role in the development, both in economic and ecological terms. “Minimizing the number of machines required through the modular concept enables a reduction in acquisition costs as well as energy savings potential of 20-40 % compared to conventional machines,” explains Managing Director Felix Kalverkamp.

“On the yield side, increases of 10-20% are possible, which can mean an increase in profitability of 20-50%. In addition, there are significant savings in terms of time and manpower,” Kalverkamp continues. To maximize the ecological aspect, the electric drive of the wide span swap body vehicle is already prepared for operation by fuel cell with green hydrogen. “This will be a decisive step towards complete climate neutrality,” says Felix Kalverkamp. The NEXAT system will have to assert itself against proven technology that has been tried and tested for years, but NEXAT sees itself well positioned here as well. “The fact that NEXAT is not just some vision is demonstrated by the fact that the system has already been successfully used in crop production under real conditions for three years and has been put through its paces by selected farmers,” adds Managing Director Klemens Kalverkamp.

The NEXAT project is not a solo effort, but has been developed in close cooperation with leading agricultural machinery manufacturers, among others. For example, the Swedish company Väderstad has been a closely involved partner for some time. As an international market-leading manufacturer of tillage, planting and seeding equipment, Väderstad has played a significant role in the development and adaptation of specific module solutions and will offer these for the new crop production system in the future.