July Working Group Round-Up

Portfolio Management Center

July Working Group Round-Up

By Dan Berne, AgGateway Portfolio Manager

Here’s a brief summary of AgGateway’s Working Group activities this month, starting with the latest news. Want to get involved or start a group? Contact Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org.

Cross-Portfolio Connections Made at Education & Action Week

During the portfolio review session at the AgGateway Education & Action Week, working group team members used the Mural tool to identify cross-connections between and among the different working groups. The intent is to not only be more efficient, but to create greater impact to AgGateway’s mission to develop the resources and relationships that drive digital connectivity in global agriculture and related industries.

For example, the upcoming potato traceability working group might want to leverage digital resources for work records from the previous SPADE precision ag project, and AgGateway’s ADAPT framework. Output from this short session is shown in Figure 1 below. Expect more work on this to be done at the Annual Conference in Nashville.

Mural Exercise for Portfolio Connections

WG00: Agrisemantics

The group continues to provide guidance to WG04 on Modus controlled vocabularies. Having completed the work on soil testing, the working group members, including those from the National Institute of Standards and Testing (NIST), are creating a controlled vocabulary framework for plant tissue.

WG01: In-Field Product ID

Working group members from Land O’ Lakes implemented a pilot Azure web service with a REST API to deliver Json payloads with grower specific seed lists. Last month the Json messages were successfully loaded onto John Deere and CNH displays. The working group had planned to work with two growers to demonstrate this capability in the field, but unfortunately just missed the planting season. Still, the test bench results were impressive. Looking ahead, the working group will modify the project to support retrieving work records of the planted seeds. A future working group will look at leveraging the work done for crop protection products.

WG03: Product Catalog

As noted last month, the team is working on having more companies adopt the product catalog API. If your company can benefit from having complete, accurate and up-to-date product information that flows from you to your retailers, contact Mike Altman via Member.Services@AgGateway.org to find out how you can incorporate the product catalog API.

WG04: Agricultural Laboratory Data

The group has been working diligently and has finished reviewing and adding to the Modus model for soil testing. Next up will be work on soil health, plant tissue, manure and compost.

WG05: Mix Ticket

The Work Order and Work Record Messages have been submitted and approved by AgGateway’s Digital Resource Center. This included:

  • Work Record Messages
  • .NET Library for Work Orders & Work Records
  • JSON schema, including Guaranteed Analysis

Next steps include implementing multiple pilots and spinning up a new working group to develop a RESTful API.

WG06: Farm Inputs: Reference Data

As noted last month, the working group has completed a reference data model on crop protection and a Resource Development Framework (RDF) architecture on crop protection. These efforts were led by AgGateway member Lexagri-Wageningen University. The next step is to submit these deliverables to AgGateway’s Digital Resource Center for review.

WG07: Farm Inputs - Work Order and Work Record

The working group has completed its modified version of the enriched SMAG data model for crop protection. The next step is to submit these deliverables to AgGateway’s Digital Resource Center for review.

WG10: Ag Energy Ship Notice

The working group has paused, as it awaits technical support from within the members’ organizations.

WG11: Integração Dados Laboratório Solos (LATAM Regional Soil Lab Data Integration)

The working group has validated its scope and has begun reviewing the Modus model relative to tropical soil requirements. The chair, Ronaldo Oliviera, continues as an active participant in WG04.

WG12: PAIL - Precision Irrigation

The team continues to work towards completing a case study with a farm in Kentucky. Irrigation is set for August. Meanwhile the team is reviewing its Json version of the schema with member companies.

In the Pipeline

Potato Traceability:  Interest and work continues for potato traceability, specifically the goal of tracking a specific batch of harvested potatoes to the field in which it was grown. A revised version of the charter has been sent for approval. AgGateway held a Meet-Up on July 15 to form a working group.

Closed Loop Spraying:  There is interest in forming a working group around the topic of closed loop spraying. The intent is to create a system/protocol that ensures compliance and minimizes mistakes, by creating a way for the OEM machine, the farm management system and the input product to talk to each other. This is similar to an initiative by Crop Life Europe and others. The next steps is to bring together these various interested parties and map out the beginnings of a working group charter. Those interested in participating should contact Feroz Sheikh via Member.Services@AgGateway.org.