AMAZONE report

Report on the current situation

The challenges posed by the Corona pandemic remain, but industry and the agricultural machinery industry in particular are pleased with the full order books. We were able to continue working cross all the AMAZONE production sites with minor restrictions while complying with the hygiene requirements. 

AMAZONE employees are protected for the most part thanks to in-house vaccinations and a high vaccination rate.

Encouragingly, the volume of orders is currently at a record level. However, material procurement is becoming an ever greater challenge for us.

The raw materials and components are currently becoming increasingly expensive. So far we have managed to secure production as far as possible, thanks in part to our international purchasing operations. Everyone involved is very vigilant in this regard, so that we can react flexibly and at short notice if bottlenecks occur.

We are currently very well positioned with our product range, and the new products have also been very well received. Nevertheless, we are working flat out on further new developments.

The AMAZONEN-WERKE Management team

AMAZONE is growing, blossoming and thriving

In view of the exceptionally high volume of orders across all product sectors, AMAZONEN-WERKE has decided to adjust capacities to meet the rising demand.

Firstly, we have decided to expand the new plant in Bramsche. Starting next year, the final assembly of the Pantera self-propelled crop protection sprayer and also of the large trailed machines such as the ZG-B and ZG-TS high-performance fertiliser spreaders, the flagship of crop protection technology, the UX 11201, and the Primera DMC large area seed drill will be carried out here. 

The relocation of these large machines from Leeden to Bramsche will allow the AMAZONE Global Parts Center and the Used Equipment Center in Leeden to grow even further. The construction of our new factory in Samara is progressing well; construction work for the AMAZONE Dolmatowo sales and service branch to the south of Moscow has also started in the meantime.

We are pleased to have found efficient partners for all construction projects and are confident that the important extensions will be finished on schedule.

New at AMAZONE

“IceTiger” winter salt spreader

AMAZONEN-WERKE has developed a new winter salt spreader based on our decades of experience. Our ZG-B large fertiliser spreader from the agricultural machinery range already works very reliably with this precision belt floor technology.

The new IceTiger with its state-of-the-art ISOBUS technology has a variably adjustable spreading width of 2 to 8 metres, a capacity of 1,000 litres (upgrading to 1,300, 1,600 and 1,900 litres is possible by means of optional extensions) and spreads all common spreading materials in equal measure, whether dry or wet. The hydraulically-driven spreader is easy to operate and has a non-sensitive floor belt with a large conveying surface, which feeds the material to be spread to the stainless spreading disc without blockages. Perfect LED lighting and sensors reliably monitor all functions during operation.

Rubber skirts fitted to the IceTiger protect the spreader from dirt from the tractor wheels, with the drive mechanism encapsulated by extra guarding. The IceTiger is equipped with four wheels so that it can be easily manoeuvred in the equipment shed, even when it is not mounted. A comfortable roll-over tarpaulin protects the material to be spread from the weather. The first 10 machines have already been in use since the winter of 2020 and are yielding good results. We are convinced that our IceTiger will be a complete success.

IceTiger awarded the silver medal at the demopark 2021 trade fair.

The new dimensions: UX Super - up to 9,000 l and up to 42 m working width on only one axle!

The AMAZONE trailed sprayer family has grown with the addition of the new UX 7601 Super and UX 8601 Super. Maximum volume is again achieved without compromise through the consistent development of the compact AMAZONE machine design – needless to say, with all the familiar advantages.

The L-booms in aircraft wing design with a working width of up to 42 m are super-light, super-stable and super-compact. They guarantee an excellent boom ride in the field. Negative vertical and horizontal boom movements are avoided by the ContourControl active boom guidance in combination with the SwingStop active vibration damping. 

The consumption of crop protection agents can be reduced by 5 to 10 % with the combination of the GPS-Switch automatic part-width section control and the AmaSelect individual nozzle control. AMAZONE offers maximum operating comfort with the SmartCenter. Comfort-Pack plus offers maximum convenience with the pressure-sensitive touch terminal for machine operation with fully automated filling and cleaning processes.

These large capacity UX models complete the sprayer range, which now offers the right implement for every farm.

Putting AMAZONE to practical use

"Bio Energy Dötterl" farm in Sassenhof

Michael Dötterl runs the farm "Bio Energy Dötterl" in the north of the Upper Palatinate region between the Steinwald mountain range and the Upper Palatinate Forest. Mr Dötterl took over the 40 ha farm from his parents at the age of 18. Three years later, he built a 400 kW biogas plant and gradually expanded his farm to 450 ha, of which 420 ha is arable land and 30 ha grassland. The biogas plant runs on maize, grass and whole crop silage. Apart from this, winter barley, winter wheat, triticale and rape are grown on the farm. In 2016, he acquired a high-specification ZA-TS mounted fertiliser spreader together with a 4,200 litre capacity UX trailed sprayer. A Cirrus large area seed drill with a 6 m working width was added just one year later, followed by a Catros TS 6 m compact disc harrow in 2020. The 8 m version of the Catros TX will join them in the late autumn of this year.

Michael Dötterl successfully relies on AMAZONE products for the management of the farm in Sassenhof and also for the farm in the Czech Republic, which has been added in the meantime.

Mr. Dötterl is already supported in his many tasks on the farm by his eight-year-old son Moritz. Working together is twice as much fun.

#ROWSHOW 2021 – a record attempt

Together with the GRIMME company from Damme, AMAZONEN-WERKE set out on a record attempt. The goal was to plant as many potatoes as possible, coupled with an application of fertiliser. For this purpose, the GL 860 “COMPACTA” eight-row potato planter from GRIMME was used together with the front tank from AMAZONE.

When planting potatoes, it is important to plant them and apply fertiliser as precisely and efficiently as possible with the right soil temperature and consistency and the appropriate spring weather.

In May this year, the record attempt started early in the morning with an outside temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius on the 47.17 ha field in Setzin, 40 km south-west of Schwerin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

3.47 ha/h was planted perfectly at an average speed of 8.3 km/h. The potatoes were planted at a depth of 18 cm with a spacing of 33 cm. The application rate of the fertiliser was 100 kg/ha. The combination managed to plant a total area of 41.59 hectares in 12 hours. This must surely be a record!

Representatives around the world: Falcon – a strong partner for South Africa

A fully equipped UX 11201 was imported to the continent of Africa for the first time by our partner Falcon Equipment for farmer and cattle breeder Heinrich Schönfeldt in Caledon in the Western Cape.

After a long wait due to shipping and other logistical challenges, Falcon Equipment had their hands full with preparations for the handover to Heinrich Schönfeldt after the arrival of the UX 11201. First of all, the track width was adjusted to 3300 mm. After adequate training of the farmer and a complete handover inspection, the trailed sprayer was ready to demonstrate its capabilities in the field.

Aristotle once said: "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work".
With a lot of commitment and pleasure in their work, the Falcon team put Aristotle’s quotation into practice in masterly fashion and commissioned the largest crop protection sprayer on the continent of Africa.

Once upon a time: SW 2000 auger wagon from AMAZONE

In the 1960s, it was common to spread some fertilisers such as lime in a powdered consistency. Lime is still the most important fertiliser in agriculture today and is extracted in its natural form. The auger wagon was sold in large numbers in a time when even small and medium-sized farms liked to buy their own equipment.

The situation has changed since then. Lime is now available in granular form or mixed with other fertilisers. This can be spread with normal centrifugal fertiliser broadcasters. Since the 1990s, however, contractors with high-performance fertiliser spreaders holding up to 10 tonnes have also undertaken the task of spreading lime on the fields. The demand for the small auger spreader gradually collapsed, so that AMAZONE stopped production again and developed more suitable bulk spreaders for this purpose.

Times change and AMAZONE adapts.

Cooperation with like-minded partners: AMAZONE UX SmartSprayer – pin-point application of herbicides

Plant protection of the future from AMAZONE in cooperation with Bosch and xarvio.

AMAZONE developed and tested the UX SmartSprayer trailed sprayer in conjunction with the companies Bosch and xarvio (BASF Digital Farming Solutions). Using image recognition software from Bosch, weeds in row crops are detected and selectively treated with herbicide. In this way, the consumption of plant protection agents can be reduced by up to 90 %, depending on the weed pressure. The technical term for this is "spot application". An absolutely precise boom position is indispensable for this micro-application. We ensure the required precision in all situations on the field with our "ContourControl" active boom guidance and "SwingStop" active vibration damping.

The combination of individually switched pulse width frequency modulation (PWFM) valves and specially coordinated Agrotop Spot Fan nozzles with a 25 cm nozzle spacing ensures precise spot application and maximum saving potential at working speeds of up to 12 km/h. At the same time, soil herbicides can be applied over the entire area from an additional tank with a twin line system during the same pass. The machine is equipped with LED lighting meaning that work can even be carried out at night.

A loyal dealer: the most successful UX sales partner

One of our most important trading partners is AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG together with many of its subsidiaries. AGRAVIS Technik BvL GmbH - one of the subsidiaries - is active as a local AMAZONE partner with 7 branches in the Münsterland region, Ruhr District, western Osnabrück Land, Emsland district and the County of Bentheim. One of these branches is the Ascheberg location in the Münsterland region.

AGRAVIS Technik BvL GmbH achieved considerable sales successes this year with our UX Super and UX Special trailed sprayers solely with the branch in Ascheberg. A total of 8 trailed sprayers were sold here, of which three were UX Super and five UX Special. On top of this, there were three UF 02 mounted sprayers. Crop protection requires a high level of consulting work. The specialised team of AGRAVIS sales advisers works very closely with the AMAZONE factory representatives here.

Around 1890, the founder of AMAZONEN-WERKE, Heinrich Dreyer, mentioned the working relationship with the cooperative from Münster, at that time known as the Westphalian Central Cooperative (WCG). The successful partnership has stood the test of time. AGRAVIS Technik BvL GmbH is supported by the factory representatives Hartmut Goudschaal and Jan-Heiner Kampmeyer.

Field fire in Leipzig

It was the evening of Sunday, 18 July 2021, and a fierce fire was raging in a grain field adjacent to the Leipzig plant. The fire brigade was alerted at around 10:40 pm and was able to intervene immediately, as the fire station is located opposite the field concerned. Almost at the same time, Mr Ralf Döring, BBG’s operations manager, was informed by a neighbour. He immediately made his way there and also triggered the internal alarm chain.

Two fire engines got stuck in the soft ground while driving through the field. Nevertheless, the fire brigade managed to set up a fire fighting position as the fire was spreading rapidly towards the factory premises. Because one fire fighting unit was nowhere near enough, the fire brigade called in additional units, including two water tenders. In addition, the maximum supply of water for firefighting could be provided via the plant’s hydrants, thanks to BBG’s maintenance readiness. To support the fire brigade, designer Robert Dietrich and works manager Martin Wilken each courageously sat on a tractor to cut firebreaks in the field with a disc harrow and cultivator and to free the stuck fire engines.

The fire was extinguished after three hours. They managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the factory premises and the neighbouring fields. The employees of the night shift who had been evacuated resumed work at around 1 am.

Many thanks to our employees and the fire brigade for their courageous and selfless efforts.

Representatives around the world: Capei SRL in Argentina

Capei SRL with Mr Gabriel Giardina is our importer in Argentina. The Grimme importer from Balcare, 390 km south of Buenos Aires, successfully took over the representation of AMAZONEN-WERKE in 2017.

The interest of the farmers is focused on the Catros compact disc harrow and highly-equipped fertiliser spreaders. In a country where 100% direct seeding is practised, the challenge is to show that significantly improved results can be achieved with new working methods and modern technology. Minimum soil tillage and mechanical weed control is a better solution, and this is best achieved with AMAZONE Catros, Cenius and Certos technology. Our high-precision fertiliser and crop protection technology is an ideal match for this technology.

Capei SRL has carried out some excellent introductory work in the meantime and will persuade many more farms of the advantages of advanced systems in the future. The successes achieved so far will provide the necessary impetus.

We thank Mr Giardina and his team for the good work and wish them continued success.

Deserving employees at AMAZONE

Dipl. Eng. (FH) Viktor Schwamm

Viktor Schwamm was born and grew up in Kazakhstan. After school, he studied mechanical engineering in Omsk, Russia, graduating with honours in 1979. Mr Schwamm began his professional career at the Siberian Agricultural Machinery Testing Station, where he was in charge of testing sowing and harvesting machinery.

He took over the laboratory there as chief engineer in 1981. Just one year later, Mr. Schwamm was the technical manager responsible for the testing station. Viktor Schwamm moved to Germany with his family in 1995. He worked as an industrial mechanic before he started a further course of studies in Dortmund. After completing his studies, Mr Schwamm started work as a design engineer in a metal construction company in Melle before working as a design engineer at the automotive supplier Matzner in Bissendorf for another five years before joining AMAZONE in 2005.

Since then, he has been responsible for the further development of the Primera DMC large area seed drill under the tutelage of our co-owner Prof. h.c. Univ. Samara R A S Dr. Dr. h.c. Heinz Dreyer (1932 - 2023). With the help of Viktor Schwamm, the Primera DMC, with working widths of up to 12 metres, developed into a top seller.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Mr Schwamm for his outstanding work, without which our successes in direct seeding technology would be unimaginable.

Dipl. Eng. (FH) Rainer Rüdebusch

After successful training at AMAZONE, Mr Rüdebusch completed a degree in engineering at the Bremen University of Applied Sciences. He then acquired further know-how with a one-year further training course in the field of quality management for engineers.

Mr Rüdebusch worked in quality management and project management at ZF Lenksysteme for many years before he returned to AMAZONE in 2014 and took over the position of project manager for our precision air seeding and large area sowing technology in Hude. He always keeps an eye on quality, deadlines and costs, in order to constantly improve our products and optimise the process flows.

He stands out as a result of his professional skills and has gained the complete trust of all employees and colleagues.

We would like to thank Mr. Rüdebusch for his dedication and very much hope that he will continue to enjoy his work and remain with us for many years to come.

AMAZONE fertiliser spreader for hobby farmer

A hobby farm with some interesting animals uses an AMAZONE spreader as a raised bed. This hobby farm is fully stretched with three horses, three Husum pigs, chickens, cats and a dog. The fertiliser spreader was “retired” and converted to a raised bed. 

Soil mixed with horse manure provides the best conditions. The first harvest already brought a rewarding yield of kohlrabi, broccoli and courgettes.

So the AMAZONE ZA-F is still providing good yields, even in retirement.

A key AMAZONE dealer: Depussay in Terminiers – France

One of our most important dealers in France is the Depussay company. The company has been in business in the Beauce region, an important cereal growing area south of Paris, for about 75 years. The managing director is Mr Christophe Depussay, who has established 29 locations in 12 Departments in the meantime.

In addition to the AMAZONE range, the company distributes the technology of Claas and JCB. It now employs 280 people and has efficient workshops with customer service and spare parts supply.

Depussay has built up a significant market with our products, especially our crop protection sprayers, sowing technology and passive soil tillage. Recently, it also successfully launched the new Precea precision air seeder.

We thank Mr Depussay and his dedicated staff for the excellent working relationship and wish the entire team all the best for the future. We will continue to encourage and support Mr Depussay and his team to the best of our ability.

Founder’s residence - the “White House”

After AMAZONEN-WERKE had been in business for 27 years, i.e. in 1900, the founder of the company Heinrich Dreyer decided to build an appropriate house for him and his family. On the one hand, it was intended to represent the prestige of his company, on the other hand, he did not want to do without his small farm. So he built two houses in one: An attractive residential house facing the street and a farmhouse with a typical hallway, hall door and stables to the rear, but altogether quite modest without any luxurious sanitary facilities, as was customary in the countryside at that time.

To begin with, Heinrich and Lisette lived in the whole house with their eight children and the domestic staff. After the children had moved out, the youngest son Erich and his wife Erne were given the flat on the top floor in 1932. Erne, who came from the city, modernised the whole house with central heating and up-to-date sanitary facilities. The house was originally built with grey slag bricks by the Georgs-Marien-Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein, which is known as Georgsmarienhütte GmbH today. The west front was covered with zinc panels to protect it from the weather.

When the last occupant, Mrs Erne Dreyer, died in 2001, the house was not demolished, but partially converted to a head office and painted white. Today, it is a gem and a worthy representative of AMAZONEN-WERKE. The members of our General Management Christian Dreyer and Andreas Hemeyer, export managers Christian Gall and Dimitri Gujo, as well as part of the After Sales department are accommodated inside the "White House".

Relocation of the AMAZONE Museum to the AMAZONE trials centre in Wambergen

Weitkamp Farm in Gaste was home to the AMAZONEN-WERKE factory museum for almost 20 years. The large threshing floor and the former cattle sheds housed the historical machinery from winnowers to drill combinations.

The attractive half-timbered house was an appropriate setting for our historical agricultural machinery. In the meantime, AMAZONEN-WERKE acquired the neighbouring Wambergen Estate and associated arable land, which extends to our premises. Now, of course, it was obvious that the exhibits collected over 135 years should be moved to the large premises at the Wambergen Estate.

There is plenty of space for the historical AMAZONE machinery on both sides of the hallway and the adjoining stable areas. We display the many small agricultural implements and historical household appliances used in farming in the rooms where the farm labourers and maids used to sleep.

While the future of modern agricultural machinery is on display on the grounds of Wambergen Estate, you can get an impression of over 100 years of technology history in the hallway. At the same time, the visitor is immersed in the living and working conditions of our ancestors who lived in the countryside.

A tour is available by appointment – please send your request to [email protected]

AMAZONE trials centre on the Wambergen Estate: First harvest in the Controlled Row Farming project

Harvesting the winter barley marks the end of the first year of cultivation in the Controlled Row Farming (CRF) project. The entire plot is threshed and weighed in a high-end fertiliser spreader in the practice-oriented strip trial. The ZG-TS 7501 is a discarded prototype which has been given special discharge funnels to transfer the crop to the trailers. This makes the trial harvesting much more effective and provides immediate results.

The results show that the double row of cereals at 50 cm with a 50 % lower seed rate achieves the same yields as conventional surface sowing. Furthermore, Egyptian clover, a well-developed companion crop, was undersown in the last hoeing pass. This generated additional biomass immediately after the harvest.

The CRF cultivation concept with the consistent row orientation of every rotation receives very positive feedback in discussions with practitioners and advisors. This autumn, the DLG launched a 3-year trial project based on the key principles of Controlled Row Farming (www.controlled-row-farming.de) with a particular focus on promoting regional beneficial plants.

The project “ReNuWi - Row-based cultivation with reduced chemical plant protection and promotion of beneficial insects and wild herbs in the field" is funded by the Federal Environmental Foundation and carried out together with the partners Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and our subsidiary Schmotzer Hacktechnik at the International Crop Production Centre in Bernburg. We expect scientifically-founded results and to gain additional experiences in a different climate region in the coming years in randomised large-plot trials.

Constantly on the road for AMAZONE: Territory representative Florian Lüer

Mr Lüer took over the position of AMAZONE factory representative in the South-East Lower Saxony area in the middle of last year. He thereby succeeds Mr Michael Hager, who successfully represented our interests for almost 30 years.

Mr Lüer has been active in agricultural machinery sales since 2007 and has already worked with AMAZONE machinery in a variety of ways; he is also very familiar with the area from Hanover to Braunschweig. He successfully completed additional training there as a certified agricultural machinery representative ADG.

As a result, Mr Lüer is well prepared to embrace his new task as an AMAZONE factory representative.

Carsten Megier has married Insa

There was a major event in the second half of 2020 which many colleagues had been looking forward to. Carsten Megier, who has worked at the crop protection technology department in Gaste since 2018, married Insa on 12 September 2020. The couple have known each other for many years and have now tied the knot. Their shared passion is dancing.

Both have already taken part in several dance championships together with the Albrecht Dance School from Georgsmarienhütte. The originally planned wedding party was supposed to be remembered by the guests as a special event with great show performances by the bridal couple.

Since the party could not take place due to the restrictions in force, the bridal couple was surprised by a small delegation of their close work colleagues on the day of their civil ceremony in Hagen a.T.W. A tractor was equipped with a UF 2002 sprayer and the new FT-P 1502 self-contained front tank for the visit to the “Old Rectory”. As you can see in the photo of the happy couple, the platform is great for wedding photos. We wish the bridal couple good health, many happy years together and all the very best for the future.

Spreader Application Center: Precise fertiliser distribution at AMAZONE

Fertiliser spreaders have been available from AMAZONE since 1915. The ZA centrifugal fertiliser broadcasters have been part of this range since 1958. The distribution accuracy of the material to be spread has been regularly tested over the last 106 years. To begin with, large metal buckets were placed on the field to collect the fertiliser. The buckets were emptied individually and the contents weighed. Later, a deep ditch was dug. This was provided with a bridge, which was driven over by a tractor with a fertiliser spreader. In 1983, AMAZONE built a test hall in which a long wagon with a large number of collecting funnels moved under the permanently mounted fertiliser spreader. The hall was later widened, in order to be able to test larger working widths.

When the working width for fertiliser spreading exceeded 50 metres, we invented a new test method in which the fertiliser spreader was mounted on a rotating test column. The spread fertiliser is collected on one side by a 42 m long measuring beam with 84 collecting funnels with online weigh cells. The measured results from the spread pattern are calculated by software and transferred directly to the online fertiliser database.

Progress continued with the establishment of the Spreader Application Centre. Today, fertiliser samples from our customers can be examined by means of a "mini" spreading test. The determined settings are then transferred to the fertiliser spreader via smartphone and mySpreader App using Bluetooth.

The Spreader Application Centre and the mySpreader App enable us to ensure the optimal spreading quality of our fertiliser spreaders.

Girl power at AMAZONE, also in technical roles

There are occupations which are traditionally associated with men. Since the training reform in the 1980s, the occupation of factory and machine fitter has been replaced by the occupation of industrial mechanic. In combination with the new fields of electronics, hydraulics and pneumatics, this has resulted in a varied field of work which increasingly fascinates women as well.

This is also the case at AMAZONE. In 2015, Franziska Willer decided to learn the interesting and multifaceted occupation of industrial mechanic. In the process, she acquired in-depth knowledge of the various manufacturing processes, e.g. machining, forming and welding, as well as the handling of electronics and hydraulics on modern CNC machines.

Since successfully completing her training, she has been working in maintenance at our main plant in Hasbergen-Gaste. Here she is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the machine tools. With her skill and expertise, Franziska Willer has managed to conquer the traditional male occupation as if by magic.

We wish Ms Willer every enjoyment and success in the future.

Farewell to Mr Friedhelm Brömstrup

Mr Friedhelm Brömstrup was an exceptional leader at AMAZONEN-WERKE where he was an authorised signatory, sales manager and a member of the management team. Starting in 1952 as a commercial apprentice under the management of the 2nd generation of the Dreyer family, Dipl. Ing. (TH) Heinrich Dreyer, he restructured our sales organisation from independent factory representatives to in-house travelling salesmen with various branches over the next 49 years. Various EDP systems were also implemented in the AMAZONE sales office during his tenure. He managed the company’s advertising and then finally the production planning with great skill.

He carried out these important tasks in a close working relationship with Mr Klaus Dreyer and the outstanding authorised signatory Dr. Rolf Friederichs, which was characterised by a high degree of mutual trust. As a result, a small family business with a good reputation became a global enterprise under the guidance of Friedhelm Brömstrup. He also worked closely and harmoniously together with the commercial manager of the 4th generation of the Dreyer family, Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Christian Dreyer. Friedhelm Brömstrup continued his family’s tradition of long service to the company, as his father had already worked at AMAZONE as a carpenter for 50 years. Dirk Brömstrup continues the loyalty to the company in the 3rd generation and today works as head of the Marketing & Communication department.

Friedhelm Brömstrup made an exceptional contribution to the great success of AMAZONEN-WERKE. The management is greatly indebted to him for this.

Politics meets agricultural machinery

The Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia and chancellor candidate of the CDU, Armin Laschet, accompanied by the Lower Saxony Minister for Economic Affairs, Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Anette Meyer zu Strohen, member of the state parliament, Verena Kämmerling, the chair of the CDU Osnabrück, and Dr. Mathias Middelberg, member of the Bundestag, visited our main plant in Hasbergen-Gaste on 18 August of this year.

The main topic of the visit was modern, resource-saving and environmentally compatible agriculture. However, the company owners, Dr. Justus Dreyer and Christian Dreyer, also illustrated the versatile international activities of AMAZONEN-WERKE in more than 70 countries worldwide as well as the appeal of the agricultural machinery innovations "Made in Germany".

The hosts were pleased about the willingness of politicians to address the problems of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the challenges and concerns of agriculture. In his conclusion, Mr Laschet thanked all those present for the constructive exchange and emphasised the importance of medium-sized family businesses for the economy in Germany. He also said that the visitors were particularly impressed by the high level of digitalisation which is now being used in agricultural machinery.