Good Practice - Project
Daniele Ugolotti – a young farmer investing in precision agriculture
A young farmer invested in precision agriculture machinery and equipment to increase production efficacy on his small farm.
General information
RDP Priority
- P2. Competitiveness
RDP Focus Area
- 2B: Entry of skilled/younger farmers
RDP Measure
- M04: Investments in physical assets
Summary
Daniele Ugolotti, a 23-year-old farmer in the province of Reggio Emilia, used CAP investment support to start his arable farming business based on precision agriculture. He purchased agricultural machinery and equipment to reduce the farm’s operating costs and improve the soil quality.
Results
- up to 15% savings in seeds;
- up to 15% savings in fuel;
- reduced use of weed control chemicals;
- improved overall soil quality.
Promoter
Daniele Ugolotti
Funding
Total budget 179 700.00 (EUR)
EAFRD 45 211.00 (EUR)
National/Regional 56 639.00 (EUR)
Private 74 850.00 (EUR)
Resources
Documents
Daniele Ugolotti – a young farmer investing in precision agriculture
(PDF – 3.8 MB)
Context
Born into a farming family, 23 year-old Daniele Ugolotti is a young farmer from the province of Reggio Emilia, in the northern part of the Emilia Romagna region. Before entering the sector, he received technical training and worked for one year as a tractor driver for an agricultural contractor. He owns three hectares of land and rents another 15 ha of arable land. He considered that precision farming would be the best way to manage his farm in a profitable way.
Objectives
Through this investment in precision agriculture machinery, the young farmer sought to improve the production processes on his farm.
Activities
CAP support was used to help purchase:
- a tractor (100 HP) equipped with a GPS system;
- an electronic sowing machine, which is suitable for minimum tillage cultivation;
- a weed control machine (15 m frontline) with anti-drift shields that prevent droplets of the chemicals from being carried by wind away from the target area.
Main results
The new equipment enable the young farmer to achieve:
- up to 15% savings in the quantity of seeds used for the different crops that he cultivates;
- up to 15% savings in the quantity of fuel needed per hectare;
- reduced use of weed control chemicals;
- improved soil quality due to minimum tillage and larger tyres on the new tractor.
Daniele will keep selling his produce via local cooperatives and processors in the region.
Key lessons
Limited access to land is the main constraint faced by Daniele. The small amount of land that he currently runs, does not allow him to achieve the economies of scale that that would maximise the benefits of precision agriculture.
“Profit margins from most arable crops are diminishing, so I trust that a precision farming approach can help me to sustain my activity.”
Daniele Ugolotti