GOFAR Co-director: ‘World FIRA 2025 puts farmers first’
In a week’s time, World FIRA 2025 will be taking place. Event organiser GOFAR says more ‘industry giants’ than ever support the event that will put farmers first especially.
World FIRA 2025, the 9th edition, is centred around ag robotics and autonomy. The event focuses on farmers and their experiences with field robots and automation, says Gwendoline Legrand, communication manager and co-director of GOFAR, the Global Organisation for Agricultural Robotics, initiator and organiser of the event. She expects that 30 to 35 per cent of the visitors will be farmers and aims to attract 1,000 growers in total who have – for the first time – free admission to the entire event.
Workshops and farmers’ experiences
“We have further improved and expanded the event to make it more attractive for farmers to attend. Not just for French farmers but for farmers across Europe and across the world. Of course the main language will be English, but that is nothing new”, Legrand says. “We have added new workshops to the programme, as well as sessions in which farmers can experience that working with an autonomous robot or smart implement is not more complicated than working with a tractor or farm machine. The workshops will show what working with a robot on real life farms is like. No theoretical capacities or possible working hours with a battery powered robot, but real farm work under real conditions. Various farmers will share their feedback and experiences for other farmers to learn and benefit from.”
Legrand also wants to put forward the ability for farmers to get first-hand experience with operating a farm robot at the event. “We want to let farmers experience themselves how easy it is to adopt a robot on their farm. Three to four manufacturers will be offering the possibility to set up and use their field robot for farmers to find out that operating a robot, attaching implements and tools and – if needed – changing a battery – really is uncomplicated.”
“And RobAgri, the association representing agricultural robotics in France with currently 85 members, are organising the ‘Grand Défi de la Robotique Agricole’ where French (speaking) farmers can take part in workshops and exchange experiences but also needs and requirements for ag robotics. This is an excellent opportunity for farmers to talk and listen about how they think of robotics.”
‘Industry giants’ embrace World FIRA
When being asked about what the organisers are most proud of, Gwendoline Legrand instantly mentions how industry giants, major tractor and machinery manufacturers, are starting to embrace the event. “I am especially proud of the team who managed to attract New Holland as a gold partner for World FIRA. The company will also be showcasing their T4 FNV specialty tractors with the award winning Advanced Vision Assisted Guidance and Kubota will be introducing their Robotti field robot.
We will also welcome representatives from Case IH, Claas, John Deere and Massey Ferguson and speakers from DeLaval and Kuhn. DeLaval and Kuhn are part of our intention to attract livestock and dairy farmers as well. DeLaval will be doing virtual demos with their DeLaval Plus platform powered by DeepBlue AI and capable of predicting disease risks such as mastitis, ketosis, milk fever, metritis and more. And Kuhn is going to virtually demo their Aura feeding robot.”
