Nexat is a modular farming system developed by German company Nexat GmbH. Think of it as one massive chassis with swappable attachments for different jobs like plowing, planting, harvesting, and spraying. The idea is you buy one base vehicle instead of maintaining separate tractors, harvesters, and sprayers.
The system got its first real-world test in Ukraine back in 2017, where it’s been running ever since.
The Efficiency Claims
Nexat says their system can boost productivity by up to 50% compared to traditional equipment. During testing in Ukraine, they’ve reported yields of 12 tons of corn per hectare and 4 tons of sunflowers, even when weather wasn’t cooperating.
For anyone sourcing ingredients or working with growers, higher yields usually translate to more stable supply and potentially better pricing when farmers can produce more efficiently.
How It Actually Helps the Soil
The system uses something called Controlled Traffic Farming. Basically, the machine follows the same tracks every time, which means you’re not constantly crushing different parts of your field with heavy equipment. Less compaction means roots can actually penetrate the soil, water drains better, and you get healthier crops overall.
Nexat claims this approach optimizes about 95% of farmland for planting. And yeah, that sustainability angle matters now. Consumers want to know their food comes from farms that aren’t destroying the land.
The base unit runs between $1 million and $1.5 million. Add all the modules you need and you’re looking at over $2 million total.
That sounds insane until you realize a full fleet of traditional high-end equipment can hit $4 million or more. So for massive operations, the math might actually work. You’re also cutting down on maintenance contracts, fuel costs across multiple machines, and the number of operators you need.
Who’s This Really For?
Right now, Nexat is targeting huge farms, we’re talking 150,000 to 500,000 hectares. If you’re running a smaller operation under 1,000 hectares, this probably isn’t on your radar. The upfront cost is just too steep, and you likely don’t have enough land to justify consolidating everything into one system.
It’s definitely positioning itself as competition for top-tier brands like John Deere’s X9 combine.
What’s Next?
Nexat hopes to have hundreds of these systems running across Europe, North America, and South America by 2030. With labor getting harder to find and climate getting harder to predict, precision systems like this could become the norm for large-scale farming. It isn’t perfect. It’s expensive and it requires technical know-how, and it’s really only practical for massive farms right now. But the core idea makes sense: one versatile machine that does multiple jobs, reduces soil damage, and potentially cranks out 50% more product.