The fine weather was there to be enjoyed at the twenty-fifth Innov-Agri show, held on 6th, 7th and 8th September 2016 at Outarville in the Loiret, in France. The event attracted just over 70,000 visitors compared with 80,000 in 2014, this decrease being due to the current climate of pessimism. In fact, the poor weather conditions experienced in the spring (heavy rain, low temperatures and lack of light) resulted in the 2016 wheat harvest being the worst since 1976. In France, this year, real production fell by 25-35%, even by 50% in the central region and Burgundy.
The fine weather was there to be enjoyed at the twenty-fifth Innov-Agri show, held on 6th, 7th and 8th September 2016 at Outarville in the Loiret, in France. The event attracted just over 70,000 visitors compared with 80,000 in 2014, this decrease being due to the current climate of pessimism. In fact, the poor weather conditions experienced in the spring (heavy rain, low temperatures and lack of light) resulted in the 2016 wheat harvest being the worst since 1976. In France, this year, real production fell by 25-35%, even by 50% in the central region and Burgundy. To this we can add the low prices that are making life even more difficult for the farmers.
For the third consecutive year, farmers have had the opportunity to make use of the agro-ecological village, which has grown from 50 m2 in 2014 to 1600 m2 this year, offering some twenty or so hands-on work shops devoted to alternative practices. These workshops included topics of the future, such as soil management, growing schedules, precision agriculture and the question of water quality.
The irrigation professionals were generally satisfied with the show and a number of clients came to meet them at their stands. Some even signed the contracts on the spot. We were able to learn about some interesting new products on their stands:
On the Lindsay stand, we became acquainted with the Perrot by Lindsay TR83 -700-metre hose reel, adapted for use in even longer fields. Gareni/Caprari offered a system for controlling the motor pump units via a GSM application on the smartphone. Bauer had the SmartRain irrigation system management application for mobile devices. And Otech presented its new range of Elite hose reels.