With the rapid progression of climate change, the need to protect crops and food sources has never been more urgent. The threats are diverse, impacting everything from fruit harvests to essential food supplies. At Whailex, we see a clear need to advance automation in weather-responsive systems, and that’s why we are committed to the development of an automated control solution for the Whailex protection net system. This innovation is not only timely but essential for safeguarding agriculture in an unpredictable climate.

Last season (2024), I left the mechanical hail protection nets partially open, and a sudden hailstorm caused a 50% loss of my harvest. With the weather-responsive automation of the Whailex system, this could have been avoided. We fully intend to invest in this solution.”

As a pilot project of the Prevention Foundation of the Cantonal Building Insurances, a hail warning system for shutter controls was developed. This system generates short-term hail forecasts, which automatically raise the shutters of affected buildings during a hailstorm. The project was implemented in close collaboration with parts of the Net Farming team. The system, “Hail Protection – Simply Automatic,” has been operational since 2016 and significantly contributes to reducing hail damage to buildings. Using the insights gained from the project to implement an automated, weather-dependent netting system for crop protection is an excellent idea and a meaningful advancement of the system.