"It is incredibly rewarding to see so many young people coming here to learn about the technologies that are already available today, as well as those that are on the horizon," say Karolina Muhrman and Per Frankelius, both Directors of the National Knowledge Hub for Digitalisation in Agriculture.
Many types of technology
Autonomous farm machinery, virtual fencing and camera-based pig weighing were just a few of the technologies on display. The day, which was moderated by Viktor Värnheld from the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF), featured a programme focused on innovation.
One of the participants was Ronja Dahlberg, who works on a dairy farm:
"For us, it is a fantastic opportunity to see how the sector is developing and to meet the people we will be working with in the future. It gives us a broader understanding of the profession. I think there will be much more technology and that it will become easier to manage and transfer data within agriculture. Not everything will revolve around technology, but it will be an important tool," she concludes.
A major revolution
Magnus Samuelsson and Per Frankelius from Agtech Sweden gave a presentation on current developments in agricultural technology. They argue that we are currently witnessing a revolution in agriculture on a scale comparable to major transformations in the past, such as the introduction of the tractor in the early twentieth century.
"What is new today is the combination of six different technological fields: robotics, drones, artificial intelligence, sensors, satellites and new tools such as lasers. At the same time, there is a major shift in the skills and expertise required of farmers," the speakers note.The event was organised by the Knowledge Hub for Digitalisation in Agriculture at Linköping University in collaboration with LRF Youth Södermanland.
