The New Holland Agriculture T6 Methane Power Tractor wins ‘Sustainable Tractor of the Year’ at EIMA

Oct 28, 2021

New Holland Agriculture, a global agriculture brand of CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI), has been awarded the prestigious title of ‘Sustainable Tractor of the Year 2022’ for its T6 Methane Power, the world’s first production methane tractor, at the EIMA Agricultural Trade Show in Bologna, Italy. The award is determined by a jury of leading farm equipment journalists from Europe’s top agricultural publications.

New Holland Agriculture is now manufacturing series production units at the brand’s Basildon, UK tractor plant, with a growing number of units currently in operation. The T6 Methane Power tractor originated from New Holland Agriculture’s pioneering work on the use of alternative fuels through its Clean Energy Leader strategy. It marks a significant milestone on the journey to decarbonizing agriculture.

Using methane as a fuel creates a circular energy system wherein farmers produce fuel from waste products. New Holland Agriculture’s T6 Methane Power tractor is a key enabler for this circular process and demonstrates CNH Industrial’s longstanding commitment to sustainable farming.

The T6 Methane Power tractor provides valuable economic and practical advantages to biogas plant operators, farmers with access to the gas network, and governments looking to reduce their emissions footprint by expanding their fleets of Compressed Natural Gas vehicles.

Source : CNH Industrial

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.