AGCO Instrumental in Creating “Chair of Agro-Machinery” at LaSalle Beauvais Campus

There is broad consensus about the growing demand for food and feed over the next 50 years. Along with that comes the realization and responsibility of sustainable agricultural production. Picardie is a very progressive region of France with a vast agricultural footprint and vibrant industrial base. In addition to machinery makers like AGCO, the region is home to agronomic service companies as well major educational institutions that support the vast French and European farm economy. Over the past couple of years, regional policy and business leaders in Picardie have been discussing ways to harness this potential. The culmination of these discussions was the announcement of a Chair of Agro-Machinery at the SIMA show in Paris earlier this year. The Agro-Machinery Chair will be located at the Institut Polytechnique LaSalle Beauvais campus in France. AGCO is one of the four founding members of the Chair along with the Institut Polytechnique LaSalle Beauvais, Michelin and the Picardie regional government, the latter being a priority region for European research funding.

The objectives of the Agro-machinery Chair are two fold,

• Develop research capabilities that will offer value to the industrial sector so that our future designs meet sustainable farming and environmental needs.
• Train students with a dual expertise in engineering and agronomy, as well the training of machinery company personnel on agronomic issues.

Thus, it will serve as a vital link between evolving agronomic practices and future machinery solutions.

Initially there will be two dedicated professors, one active in agronomic issues, and the other to focus on integrated machinery solutions. A steering committee has been formed to oversee the Chair, and a scientific committee to advise the Chair on research projects and proposals.

While the search for professors is in full swing, AGCO R&D team is already active in engaging LaSalle faculty and other partners. A planning workshop concluded that the Chair’s focus should be man-machinery-environment interaction.  Another fresh initiative was a 3 day training event organized by LaSalle Agronomy faculty to introduce senior managers and engineers from AGCO and Michelin to soil health and sustainability issues, and culminated in an intensive brainstorming session. The training exposed all participants to the variability and uncertainties of agriculture and was very much appreciated by all them. We are already planning another session for key AGCO participants!

LaSalle and AGCO have forged a great partnership already and once the Agro-Machinery faculty is fully in place the cooperation is sure to grow strongly!