For over 40 years, Agromeccanica Calzolari has been a major agricultural contractor in Italy. Serving farms across Northern Italy, they've seen firsthand how farming techniques and technology have evolved. Today, with the demand for efficiency and sustainability higher than ever, they are pioneering the use of modern precision tools to optimize one of the region's most important crops: corn.
Their latest project demonstrates this shift: leveling a challenging 10-hectare corn field to drastically improve drainage. By deploying the FJD AL02 3D Land Leveling System—specifically its double-sloped surface feature—Agromeccanica Calzolari is turning a corn field into a perfectly contoured, high-performance growing environment.
Irrigation Challenges on the Flat Land
Northern Italy's best farming areas, like the Po Valley, are mostly flat. This flat land is perfect for running large machines and doing large-scale farming. Because the soil is very rich and water is plentiful, farmers here grow large amounts of corn, often using lots of water and fertilizer to get the highest possible yield.However, this very flatness causes a major headache when it comes to watering the crops, especially when farmers use the common and cheap method of gravity irrigation (letting water flow naturally across the field). Water needs a gentle slope to flow correctly, but flat ground doesn't provide one.
The lack of a perfect slope means the stakes are high. Especially during the irrigation period after sowing and the rainy season, it doesn't flow predictably. This leads to big problems: some parts of the field get too much water and flood, while other parts get none and dry out. This uneven water distribution wastes resources and hurts the crop, making it much harder to achieve high yields in the future.
Precision Grading with Dual-Slope Control
Agromeccanica Calzolari addressed this challenge with a powerful setup: a 410-horsepower John Deere 8RX 410 four-track tractor pulling a massive 7-meter-long grading scraper. At the core of this heavy-duty operation is the FJD AL02 3D Land Leveling System .
To create a specific, gentle grade across the entire 10-hectare field, Agromeccanica Calzolari used the dual-sloped surface feature from the AL02 to quickly do it. This feature allows their operator to define two distinct slopes, ensuring the field's surface guides water clearly toward both sides of the parcel.
By leveling the land and establishing this uniform, appropriate slope, the system achieves two critical goals:
- Clear Water Direction: The path of the water flow becomes certain and predictable.
- Consistent Water Layer Depth: The water is distributed evenly, maintaining a consistent depth across the entire field during irrigation.
This results in a dramatic improvement in irrigation uniformity and water use efficiency. Every corn plant will receive the correct amount of water in the coming season, eliminating the problems of waterlogging and drought simultaneously.
The Benefits of Optimal Water Management
By using advanced 3D leveling technology like the FJD AL02, Agromeccanica Calzolari gives Italian corn farmers a major sustainable advantage. When the field is graded perfectly, corn plants get a reasonable amount of water and nutrients. This means the whole crop can grow to its maximum potential, leading to a big increase in overall yield at harvest time.
This precise water management also saves valuable farm resources. Since the water is spread evenly, less water is wasted during irrigation. Because the plants are not stressed by being too wet or too dry, they stay healthier. This allows farmers to use less fertilizer and fewer pesticides, which not only saves them a lot of money but is also better for the local environment.
Also, the FJD technology greatly improves efficiency in the field. Instead of using old laser systems that require frequent adjustments, the contractor utilizes the powerful FJD GNSS/RTK system to create double-sloped surfaces quickly and precisely. This avoids wasted time, eliminates the need for repeated work, and ensures that large-scale field preparation is completed right the first time.
Smart Tech Leading the Future of Farming
For the heavy-duty machinery required in the flat, expansive plains of Northern Italy, the stability and precision of the AL02 system demonstrate a perfect combination of robust hardware and advanced software. By adopting precision tools that handle complex, variable surfaces, Agromeccanica Calzolari is helping to secure the future of intensive farming, proving that smart technology is the key to achieving both higher profits and greater sustainability.You may also want to read:
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