Precision FarmingHow preci­sion agri­cul­ture is trans­forming the life of Romanian farmers

I visited Valentin Ghim­pețeanu, a farmer from Giurgiu County, in May. He had just changed out of his work clothes and was about and was getting ready to spend a few days at the seaside. At a time when most farmers are working flat out, Valentin was relaxed, and he explained why. With inno­v­a­tive machinery and digital systems, field­work no longer stresses him. He has time and feels he can more easily adapt to increas­ingly chal­lenging times.

From Manual Labour to Digital Vision

Today, Valentin manages 1,600 hectares along­side his father, brother-in-law, and four machinery oper­a­tors. But the farm’s begin­nings were diffi­cult and unpleasant for everyone involved. The family’s involve­ment in agri­cul­ture began decades ago when Valentin’s grand­fa­ther ran a collec­tive farm (CAP) during the commu­nist era. At that time, Valentin’s father hated agri­cul­ture and instead chose to work in road and bridge construc­tion, while Valentin spent his vaca­tions guarding water­melon fields with his grand­fa­ther. Even­tu­ally, his father found no satis­fac­tion in his job, so he tried investing in a gas station, which didn’t work out. He then started looking more seri­ously at the land, founding what is now their current crop farm.

Valentin remem­bers that in the early 2000s, their land was worked with six U650 trac­tors. It wasn’t until 2008 that they bought their first modern machine, a 195-horse­power tractor. When one of their newer trac­tors caught first shortly after arriving, Valentin climbed into the driver’s seat for the first time, deter­mined to prove to his father that the machinery oper­a­tors were misman­aging the machines. Despite grad­u­ating from two univer­si­ties with Public Admin­is­tra­tion and Economics, and despite his father’s hope to see him succeed in any field but agri­cul­ture, Valentin chose to stay on the farm. His first perfectly ploughed furrows won his father’s respect and sparked a deeper satis­fac­tion.

 “I was working with that tractor, and when I used the disc, I made sure not to skip rows or leave gaps at the ends. The oper­a­tors were using old trac­tors. All day, we carried wires, wrenches, hammers, we were always dirty because some­thing would break constantly,” Valentin recalled.” That’s how things were until 2012.

When a GPS Changed Every­thing

“At one point, I saw a John Deere running by itself with GPS and told my dad, ‘That’s the one we’re buying,’” Valentin said. That tractor – a model 8335 R with a GPS antenna – changed every­thing on the farm and from that point Valentin fell in love with tech­nology. “I didn’t miss a single training session held by IPSO Agri­cul­ture, I became friends with the sales reps, and started buying only from them,” he told me.

Following that tractor came a six-row planter. When he saw how fast and precisely it worked, he bought two more for corn and sunflowers and a subsoiler that performs four oper­a­tions in one pass. The farm tran­si­tioned from ploughing to minimum tillage. Over time, Valentin’s passion for tech­nology caught IPSO’s atten­tion, and he was invited to become a beta tester, providing feed­back on new equip­ment in real-world condi­tions before market release.

“Nowa­days, field prep is done with two John Deere R8410 trac­tors, each pulling a Kuhn Performer. That way, we only go into the field once, and the machine shreds and mixes plant residues and levels and recon­sol­i­dates the soil. Then, we sow. No other work is needed,” Valentin explained. Their current machinery fleet includes six John Deere trac­tors: two with 410 HP, one with 370 HP, one with 335 HP, and two with 155 HP, plus a smart self-propelled sprayer (a MET 732) and the largest combine from the S series with a 12-meter header.

Digi­ti­sa­tion Brought Effi­ciency to the Farm

By May, the farm’s barley, wheat, and rape­seed crops were thriving. All treat­ments had been applied on time, and Valentin moni­tored crop progress, mostly from his phone. With all the soft­ware down­loaded from the trac­tors onto his device, nothing happens on the farm without his knowl­edge. Real-time moni­toring gives him complete visi­bility and peace of mind. As we drove out to the fields, we expe­ri­enced the comfort he works in and under­stood the tech­nolo­gies that have made his life signif­i­cantly easier.

As we approached the farm­land, the tractor began iden­ti­fying the plots it had previ­ously worked on and asked if it should perform a task. We laughed, wondering if we could tell it we were just out for a joyride this time. Valentin uses the John Deere Oper­a­tions Centre plat­form to plan, track and analyse all activity. He can review perfor­mance data from each machine, to make better deci­sions season after season. Everyone using this plat­form can track crop progress, plan oper­a­tions, and collab­o­rate in real time with agron­o­mists or service providers.

The planner on the monitor showed the last settings made via computer or phone for the plot appearing on the map. The tractor knew what imple­ment it had attached, its working width, and the guid­ance line.  It became clear that the farmer can now do fine-tuning tractor settings and para­me­ters, without leaving it up to the oper­a­tors. No one in the farm is guessing anymore.

With Auto­Trac™, the trac­tors steer them­selves with up to 2.5 cm accu­racy, minimising over­laps during field oper­a­tions and saving fuel, time, and inputs. Valentin was among the first Roma­nians to test auto­matic tractor turning. “Now you just get in the tractor and set it up, and that’s it. It works all day non-stop, espe­cially now that the autonomous version with video cameras is out. I can see every­thing from my phone. I get an alert if the engine runs too long without working. The monitor even asks the oper­ator: ‘What are you doing? Eating? Why aren’t you working?” Valentin said with a smile.

The Farmer Becomes a Strate­gist and Data Manager

Tech­nology has turned yesterday’s agri­cul­tural workers into farmers, and today, digi­tal­i­sa­tion is helping agribusi­ness entre­pre­neurs become strate­gists and data managers. Thanks to GPS, sensors, and data manage­ment plat­forms with real-time analysis, Valentin has learned to manage every square meter of land indi­vid­u­ally. His deci­sions are based on complex data, not intu­ition or habit. For him, preci­sion agri­cul­ture is no longer a novelty; it’s the stan­dard that, in his opinion, makes the differ­ence between survival and success in today’s agri­cul­ture. Why?

Because it’s all about maximum oper­a­tional effi­ciency. In an agri­cul­tural season, the differ­ence between being digi­talised or not trans­lates into thou­sands of pounds saved. It means lower costs, more balanced yields, and fewer losses. Using section Control and Rate Control systems, farmers can apply exactly the right amount of seed, fertiliser, or herbi­cide where needed. And let’s not forget fuel.

Modern trac­tors mean power, preci­sion …

… and comfort.

“The accoun­tant says we now use a quarter of the fuel we used to. Effi­ciency also means reduced working time; we can now cover 100 ha/day with a single tractor. During harvest, we used to be stuck in the fields until winter. Now, with one combine, we harvest 50 ha/day. I’d also add comfort. I drive all the trac­tors and wanted them to be comfort­able.

“I have Premium seats with ActiveSeat, an elec­tron­i­cally controlled active suspen­sion that uses sensors and an electro-hydraulic system to dampen vertical move­ments caused by uneven terrain auto­mat­i­cally. The seat constantly adjusts its posi­tion to reduce vibra­tions – and that means super comfort,” Valentin explained.

The Future Is About Smart Deci­sions

Invest­ments in tech­nology have boosted effi­ciency and yield while reducing farm labour. From switching from ploughing to minimum tillage to preserve soil mois­ture, to highly accu­rate field­work using consis­tent tracks and guid­ance lines, to intel­li­gent spraying with vari­able appli­ca­tions saving 15-20% of herbi­cides, fungi­cides, or liquid fertilisers – every­thing has trans­formed the farmer’s pace of life.

This means pros­perity not only for farmers but also for the envi­ron­ment. Reducing unnec­es­sary treat­ments lowers the risk of phyto­tox­i­city and preserves soil micro­bi­o­log­ical balance. These prac­tices lead to extra income. Controlled appli­ca­tions help meet eco-condi­tion­ality stan­dards and are a strong point for EU funding appli­ca­tions. Farmers who adopt preci­sion agri­cul­ture don’t just discuss sustain­ability – they become more resilient to chal­lenges. They are among the first to contribute to reducing carbon foot­prints and conserving natural resources directly. As I left the Ghim­pețeanu farm, one thought stuck with me: preci­sion agri­cul­ture isn’t just about tech­nology, it’s about results, better harvests, lower costs, and a more prof­itable busi­ness. And when inno­v­a­tive machinery is part of the equa­tion, poten­tial turns into perfor­mance.