2017 March Newsletter

2017 March Newsletter

Welcome New Members! 

Agricultural Data Coalition (ADC)

Marrone Bio Innovations  

Myriad Mobile 

Are you going to a meeting? 

AgGateway members are active in many industry sectors, and attend a variety of events during the year. Each meeting is an opportunity to spread the word about AgGateway and eConnectivity! We’re asking members: 

  • Take a look at this event list posted on the AgGateway wiki.  
  • If you’re attending any of these events, are there any materials you need to help talk about eConnectivity with your peers at these events (such as a flyer, “AgGateway member” placard, “Contact Us” business card, etc.)? 
  • Finally, let us know if we’ve missed any important meetings that should be on the list. Email us at Member Services (Member.Services@AgGateway.org.)

 Thank you for being an AgGateway “ambassador” and energizing others to be involved!

New to AgGateway? Join Our Next Orientation Webinar 

Tuesday, April 18, 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET
This 1-hour webinar  provides a background on AgGateway, and how to get involved. It’s geared toward new members and people just getting involved in AgGateway from some of our other member companies.

Be a Part of AgGateway Communications 

The Communications Committee is always looking for more members, because the more representatives we have across AgGateway, the better our communications work will be. Please make sure someone on your council is part of the committee. Also, consider whether a colleague within your company – perhaps someone already doing communications or marketing work – might want to take advantage of the experience of committee work with AgGateway. Want to get involved? Just contact Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org and let them know!

Learn and Share: Short AGIIS Video with Testimonials 

Hear compelling testimonials on the value of eConnectivity and the role of unique identifiers in the new, 5-minute video, “AgGateway’s Ag Industry Identification System (AGIIS): A Critical Resource for Your Agri-Business.” Learn and share with others how AGIIS is an essential tool in eBusiness. Find it here. 

Registration Opens Soon! 2017 Mid-Year Meeting

Registration will open soon for the 2017 Mid-Year Meeting, taking place June 12-15 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. This valuable face-to-face meeting provides many opportunities for council and committee meetings, networking activities, and educational seminars. Join over 250 industry professionals working to advance the organization’s initiatives. Watch for details coming soon!

Send your posts about AgGateway activities for social media! Social@AgGateway.org.

Precision Ag

Ag Retailers Association Encourages Manufacturers and Software Developers to Integrate AgGateway’s ADAPT

By Susan Ruland, AgGateway Communications Director

A recent AgGateway press release

One of the toughest challenges ag retailers and agronomists have faced in using precision ag technologies is that different software and hardware systems haven’t been able to “talk” to each other, hampering the ability to help producers manage valuable data. Now that is changing with the introduction of AgGateway’s ADAPT software toolkit. ADAPT is an industry initiative that addresses one of the main pain points for retailers – converting multiple data formats and easily using data in different software applications. > Read more...

Grain & Feed Council

Advances in Grain, Feed and Field Operations Traceability Standards

By Jim Wilson, AgGateway Standards Director

We want to share a recent press release and a meeting report regarding the great work of the AgGateway team working on field-to-fork grain traceability standards. As stated in an AgGateway press release this month, grain producers and handlers may soon have more powerful data management capabilities to address traceability and the regulatory needs of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) thanks to this collaborative effort. Companies involved in CART (Commodity Automation for Rail and Truck), met last month at the Software Solutions Integrated (SSI) corporate offices and training center in Shelbyville, Ill., to map out a plan to complete the standards work by AgGateway’s Mid-Year Meeting in June. Taking CART over the finish line will culminate almost two years of work by more than 25 member companies and individuals from academia dedicated to AgGateway’s mission of expanding eConnectivity in agriculture. > Read more...

Leadership Profile

Eric Hoefing, Manager of Applications Development Team at ACS, and Ag Retail Council Chair

By J. Nolfo, BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions and Communications Committee Chair

How long have you been involved with AgGateway, and what are your current activities with AgGateway?

I started interacting with AgGateway in 2011 at the Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Shortly after that, the Seed Connectivity II Project went into full force, and that is where most of my initial relationships were created. While I officially work for ACS, an Allied Provider, I also proudly represent Key Cooperative and the retailer community in most of my interactions within AgGateway. I currently chair the Ag Retail Council. I have also participated in the Seed Council, Allied Providers Council, Grain & Feed Council and the Architecture Committee.

Give us a quick synopsis of your career path – where did you start, and where are you now?

I am a farm kid that graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with an MIS degree. My degree led to working for a consulting company in Des Moines, Iowa, for over four years before joining a small agricultural data processing company. For more than four years, I developed and maintained their web and data warehouse environments. My next opportunity was back in the consulting business with ACS, where I have been for over eight years. My current role for ACS is manager for the Application Development team. Shortly after starting with ACS, a relationship was created with Key Cooperative doing Application Development and data warehousing, which allowed me the opportunity to be involved with AgGateway. > Read more...

AGIIS Update

What’s New in the World of AGIIS?

By Chris Crutchfield, AgGateway

I’d like to give you a quick recap of several improvements to the Ag Industry Identification System (AGIIS) over the last few months, and share a glimpse of what is on the horizon.

Last November, the AGIIS Directory Oversight Committee (DOC) requested a procedure be put in place to support an annual Global Location Number (GLN) reuse process. This process allows a GLN that has been inactive for four years to be reused, or re-assigned, to a new entity. As a result, several enhancements were made, both procedurally and to the AGIIS website, supporting this process:

  • First, subscribers can now download a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file containing all GLNs that are eligible for reuse. When this file is updated and ready to be downloaded, a communication will be sent to subscribers, who then have 45 days to review the report before these GLNs are reintroduced to AGIIS for assignment.
  • Second, AGIIS website users can now view the demographic history, entity name and address that was associated with a reusable GLN when it went inactive. Users can also see if a GLN has been reintroduced to AGIIS for assignment, but has yet to be reassigned.
  • In another recent enhancement, we introduced the new CSV bulk file format, which provides an easier method to submit up to 1,000 bulk transactions into AGIIS. While anyone can use this file format, it was designed for those subscribers with limited technical resources, with the ability to use a spreadsheet format to add, update, delete and reactivate entities in their subset.

> Read more...

AIDC

Solutions for Better Seed Department Management at Ceres Solutions

By Jody Costa, Barcoding, Inc. and Allied Providers Council Chair

The AIDC Task Force presents a case study with Ceres Solutions, available for download on the AIDC website page.

Read this case study to find out how Ceres Solutions achieved the following results in its seed department by using a barcoding-based, tablet solution: 

  • Shrink improvements, from nearly 2% in 2008 to a slight oversold of 0.06% in 2016.
  • Improved accuracy. Ceres is in compliance with manufacturer reporting requirements.
  • Reduced administrative costs. 

> Read more...

AgGateway News

AgGateway in the News

By Kristin Nottingham, Software Solutions Integrated, LLC

Good coverage of our recent press releases, as well as a positive mention in CropLife by precision ag editor Paul Schrimpf. Take a look!

ARA Encourages Use of AgGateway’s ADAPT Toolkit. Precision.AgWired.com - March 9, 2017; Precision agriculture doesn’t come without its share of frustrations; getting systems to “talk” to each other is certainly one of them. Now the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) is encouraging the use of AgGateway‘s ADAPT toolkit to allow multiple formats to share data across software applications.”

AgGateway teams close in on grain traceability standards. Feedstuffs – March 2, 2017; Members creating management standards to help address traceability and regulatory needs of FSMA….Grain producers and handlers may soon have more powerful data management capabilities to address traceability and the regulatory needs of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), thanks to a collaborative effort by AgGateway members to create standards for grain handling information management.

AgGateway Tracking Grain From Field To Fork. Brownfield Ag News – March 8, 2017; Crop farmers, handlers, and consumers are another step closer to efficiently tracking the movement of grain from field to fork. AgGateway Grain and Feed Council chair Phillip Kubesh says members are developing information management standards to address traceability and the regulatory needs of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

AgGateway creates grain handling information management standards. Dry Bulk - March 7, 2017; Grain producers and handlers may soon have more powerful data management capabilities to address traceability and the regulatory needs of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), due to a collaborative effort by AgGateway members to create standards for grain handling information management.

AgGateway focuses on grain traceability for FSMA standards. WorldGrain.com - March 2, 2017; Grain producers and handlers may soon have more powerful data management capabilities to address traceability and the regulatory needs of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), due to a collaborative effort by AgGateway members to create standards for grain-handling information management companies involved in the effort, known as CART (Commodity Automation for Rail and Truck).

Winter Of Learning In Precision Agriculture. CropLife – March 1, 2017; Paul Schrimpf: Connectivity and compatibility continue to advance, and there’s a spirit of cooperation among suppliers that was virtually nonexistent seven years ago. Data standards through the efforts of AgGateway and other organizations are moving ahead.

Brandt’s McArdle to chair ag retailers group. AgriNews – February 6, 2017; Brandt EVP and Chief Operating Officer Tim McArdle has been named chairman of the Agricultural Retailers Association during a ceremony at the ARA Conference and Expo in Orlando, Fla. He also serves on the AgGateway board.