Entering the virtual farming realm

Mar 25, 2020

A piece of P.E.I. farm equipment will appear in the Farming Simulator video game

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A piece of farm machinery from one of Canada’s top potato-producing provinces will be available for players of the Farming Simulator video game.

H.F. Stewart, a West Point, P.E.I. company that manufactures bulk boxes, washers and hoppers, has its name in the game through its 45-foot (13-metre) telescopic bin piler.

Getting the equipment into the game took almost four years of communication between the farm equipment company and the video game developer, said Zach Stewart, business development manager with the H.F. Stewart .

“About three-and-a-half years ago, I reached out to (Giants Software) remembering them when I was a kid playing the (Farming Simulator) game,” he told Farms.com. “They got back to me and we started getting the ball rolling.”

Stewart and Giants Software traded emails of 3D renderings and drawings of the piler, which farmers use to pile potatoes for storage or for unloading into transport trucks. Game developers plugged the drawings into the company’s software to create the virtual equipment.

The attention to detail on the virtual piler is impressive, Stewart said.

“I don’t think they could have done much better of a job,” he said. “You can even see our part number on the cylinders on the bin piler in case you needed to order another one.”

Giants Software released its first Farming Simulator video game in 2009. The simulator has featured John Deere, AGCO and Case IH equipment, among other brands.

Seeing his family’s name in the video game alongside those other farm equipment manufacturers was a special moment, Stewart said.

“It’s something you never think would ever happen but it was really cool to play with the equipment (in the game) and know that you were there when it was built,” he said.

The bin piler may only be the first piece of H.F. Stewart equipment to be included in the game.

Communication channels are open between the two parties to work together again, Stewart added.

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.