2020 April Newsletter

April 2020  Volume 14  Number 3


From the CEO

The Relevance of Digital Agriculture in the Time of Coronavirus

What will the Coronavirus pandemic mean to agriculture, in the weeks and months ahead? We’re only beginning to get a sense of the many ramifications. At the upstream end of the supply chain, some manufacturers aren’t able to source ingredients used for animal feed and other agricultural needs, due to interruptions to the normal flow of some goods between and within nations – as well as the drop in production of some by-products (such as feedstuff from sagging ethanol production). Throughout the supply chain we’re experiencing shifts in how and whether workers can do their jobs, including the availability of a steady workforce. And at the demand end – with the global drop in travel, eating out, and gatherings of all kinds, there’s already a significant shift in what consumers are buying. Add to this the tragic health toll and its impact, and there’s no doubt we are facing an enormously challenging time for agriculture.  Read more >

 

Mid-Year Meeting

AgGateway's Mid-Year Meeting Goes Virtual

By AgGateway’s Conference Committee

No day is the same in agriculture, and no day has been the same since the outbreak of Covid-19 focused our industry on remote work enabled by technology, interconnected processes and interoperable data. AgGateway is taking the challenge in stride and moving the June Mid-Year Meeting to a virtual environment.

First and foremost we want to assure members that we will have a meeting in early June 2020.  Read more >

 

Welcome New Member

Agro EDI Europe

Agro EDI Europe is a French non-profit association created in 1992 by French agricultural cooperatives. Its goal is to serve as a forum for members of the agricultural and food industry interested in the development of digital projects and EDI (electronic data interchange) in the upstream of the food chain. The organization’s scope of action ranges from agricultural supplies to food processing, and connections with all related services and administrations. Agro EDI Europe has been recognized for its international expertise in the standardization of agricultural electronic exchanges, including the creation and animation of the UNCEFACT group from 2005 to 2015. Read more >

 

Calendar

Watch for Industry-Specific Meet-Ups

AgGateway’s Member Services department has reached out to former council leadership to set up industry-specific Meet-Up conference calls in April and May. These may include meetings of sectors such as crop protection, crop nutrition, seed, etc. As part of its 2020 reorganization, AgGateway anticipated holding these types of Meet-Ups as a way to promote member engagement, as well as to involve new members and move AgGateway work forward. One focus of this current round of conference calls will be to forge next steps on topics discussed last fall at the final council meetings. Members will be invited to share ideas and action items for new Working Groups. Read more >

 

Ag Retail

Ag Retail Meet-Up Covers Connectivity Opportunities in 2020

AgGateway’s ag retail members and other interested member companies met via webinar on March 24 to identify and schedule connectivity opportunities for the current year. An obvious topic kicking off the meeting was the current pandemic, with many AgGateway leaders working from home in support of our essential agriculture industry. Moreover, the group recognized the vital role that AgGateway work represents in these times of crisis – including interoperability of systems and interconnected data streams in both the external supply chain and within companies. Read more >


AGIIS Update

Calling All AGIIS Subscribers: Help Keep Your Committee Strong

The Directory Oversight Committee, which manages the Ag Industry Identification System (AGIIS), is asking AGIIS subscribers to provide some basic information to help ensure cross-industry representation on the committee. Previously, the committee would go to each council for representation in reviewing the AGIIS directory. But now that AgGateway work is being completed outside of a council structure, we need to ensure that the committee has broad representation, encompassing all industry segments at each level in the supply chain. This representation helps keep AGIIS a strong industry resource as hundreds of companies use it each day. Read more >

AgGateway member meeting at SiDi in Campinas/SP - 9 March

Latin America

News from the Latin American Regional Group

Here are a few updates from AgGateway’s Latin America Region.

I was in San Nicholas, Santa Fé Province in Argentina March 11-12 to visit Expoagro (the largest agricultural fair in Argentina) with the aim of promoting AgGateway among companies and entities linked to precision agriculture and digital agriculture in that country. Read more > 


Staff Opening

AgGateway Seeks Director of Member Relations

AgGateway is seeking a Director of Member Relations, a part-time contractor position. The Director of Member Relations oversees development, planning and management of the organization's membership initiatives including membership acquisition, engagement and retention programs. The role also facilitates the planning and execution for the organization's annual meetings. Read the full article and job description here.