For more than 90 years, the company Röhren- und Pumpenwerk Bauer, a manufacturer of irrigation and slurry technology based in Voitsberg, has been committed to innovation. Irrigation systems developed in Styria now irrigate 2.5 million hectares all over the world. 60,000 slurry tanks, thousands of separators, pumps and agitators are in use internationally. The company has almost 900 employees at 16 locations worldwide, serving customers in more than 100 countries.

However, the company is not only growing internationally, production capacity has also recently been tripled at the site in Styria – in order, according to the company, “to develop intelligent and sustainable products using high-quality materials and precise production technology”.

Neutrons from space

The best example of this is COSMOFIELD. This innovative technology for monitoring soil moisture – non-contact, highly precise, comprehensive and in real time – enables much more accurate and efficient decision-making in irrigation. Thanks to Irricontrol technology, Bauer is the first company in the irrigation industry to offer this revolutionary solution. “Cosmofield combines the precision of point sensors with the large-scale coverage required for modern agriculture,” says the company.

Particularly exciting: soil moisture can even be measured from space. Neutrons that hit the earth from space react with hydrogen in a special way.“Cosmofield detects these changes in the neutrons present near the surface and can therefore measure the moisture content of the soil with high accuracy – continuously and in real time over areas of 5 to 10 hectares (at sea level).”  This is made possible by a particularly advanced technology called CRNS (Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing) – “this has been recognized by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) as a leading method for intelligent agriculture”, the company is rightly proud to say.