As precision farming technology becomes increasingly essential for the agriculture industry, so do the semi-annual Plugfest events organized by the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF).
Held every spring and fall, alternatively in the United States and in Europe, AEF Plugfests bring representatives together from dozens of ag equipment manufacturers to test the compatibility of their products. This week's event, the AEF Spring Plugest, saw 85 industry professionals come together at the Westin Milwaukee hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for two days of testing activities, meetings, and networking.
“It’s very important to join forces as an industry to ensure ag equipment interoperability, and Plugfest serves as the ideal forum for engineers to come together across brands in support of the broader ag industry,” said AEM Senior Director of Agriculture Services Austin Gellings. “AEM collaborates with AEF to represent the needs of North American agriculture, benefitting equipment manufacturers and farmers alike.”
In addition to bringing together engineers to assess tractor-implement compatibility between a variety of different brands (to ensure there are no problems for consumers trying to match the products up in the field), Plugfest also offers opportunities for networking between industry professionals. Real-time adjustments are often made by Plugfest participants to ensure product compatibility, while other situations require more work back at the company to complete any necessary changes.
AEM is a proud founding member of AEF and serves as the organization’s secretary, representing North America and helping to ensure equipment interoperability around the world. Back in 2008, AEM recognized the need for a dedicated organization to lead agriculture equipment interoperability and therefore helped support the establishment of AEF.
AEF encourages AEM members and agriculture equipment manufacturers to get involved with AEF and participate in Plugfest events.
For more information on the spring event, contact AEM’s Austin Gellings agellings@aem.org.
