Working Group Priorities for 2022

Portfolio Management Center

February 2022 Working Group Round-Up and 2022 Priorities

By Dan Berne, AgGateway Portfolio Manager

2022 looks to be another busy year for AgGateway Working Groups. There are four Working Groups who were active in 2021 and who are scheduled to wind up activities in the first half of the year:

  • Working Group 04 Ag Lab Data
  • Working Group 09 Data Linking
  • Working Group 11 Integração Dados Laboratório Solos
  • Working Group 12 PAIL Observations and Measurements

There are an additional four Working Groups starting up that are the next phase of work:

  • Ag Lab Data API and Implementation
  • In-Field Product Identification Enhancements
  • Mix Ticket API
  • Product Catalog Enhancements

And there is whole host of potential new Working Groups:

  • Ag Water Quality
  • Closed Loop Spray
  • Crop Input for Supply Chain
  • Field Boundaries and GPS Quality
  • GTINs for Crop Protection Products
  • Potato Crop Data
  • Proof of Delivery Scale Ticket

You Are Invited to Help Set the AgGateway Portfolio Strategy

Beginning this year, the Portfolio Management Center will sponsor quarterly Meet Ups where AgGateway members can help shape the AgGateway portfolio of Working Groups and initiatives. Topics include issues that cut across multiple Working Groups, such as funding models, localization of digital resources, etc.

The meetings will also work to encourage and execute ways for Working Groups to leverage digital resources that have already been developed or that are in development. The Meet Ups will also help shape a three-year roadmap of the portfolio.

“I’d like to hear from members who do not always speak up at Working Group meetings, not just the usual voices in the room,” says Portfolio Manager Dan Berne. “I’m looking forward to hearing from a wide variety of our member volunteers.

The first Meet Up is set for Wednesday, March 2 at 9:00 a.m. Chicago Time. The second one will occur during the Mid-Year Meeting in June. Look for a Meet Up calendar invite from Member Services.

Field Boundaries Meet Up Set for Thursday, February 10

Those interested in issues surrounding field boundaries, including GPS quality issues for autonomous vehicles, should plan on attending the next Meet Up session on Thursday, February 10 at 9:00 AM Chicago time. The intent is to review input to date and break down the work into manageable projects.

Key areas of concern include:

  • There are many different shapes are created to represent areas of land that growers operate today. These shapes can be different from one software or hardware device to another, creating issues for growers and service providers.
  • There is no central database with versioning abilities to standardize field shapes for growers and service providers.
  • All modern GPS systems use NAD 83/WGS 84 as a reference datum, but use of different projections can make it challenging to provide the precise positioning data needed by autonomous vehicles.

Look for a Meet Up Calendar Invite from Member Services.

Closed Loop Spray Meet Up Moves to Finalize Working Group Charter

Interested members met on January 19 to discuss problems related to closed loop spraying and to identify a potential scope of work to address them. During this third Meet Up, attendees reviewed a proposed charter. Comments will be incorporated into a final proposed charter that will be submitted for approval. Once the charter is approved, there will be a Call for Participation, at which point those wishing to participate must become AgGateway members.

The initiative is being led by AgGateway Europe, but the intended scope is global. The aim is to support producers of chemical crop protection products, contractors, and farmers in the use and application of crop protection products.

“This meets the industry's claim to help growers avoid mistakes,” says Europe Regional Director Conny Graumans. Those interested in participating or learning more should contact Conny at conny.graumans@aggateway.org.

Potato Crop Data Working Group Starting Up

A charter has been submitted for approval and the new Working Group expects to commence work at its next meeting. The use case involves a potato processor wanting to know on which field(s) a batch of potatoes was grown and harvested. The manufacturer would like a record of the field operations the grower has executed during the growing season. At harvest, the manufacturer wants an accurate yield count. In addition, the grower would like to know where the potatoes were stored and under what conditions.

Comparing these data with the quantity and quality of the batch of potatoes allows the manufacturer to make recommendations to the farmer to improve yield and quality. Those interested in joining this new Working Group should contact Conny Graumans at conny.graumans@aggateway.org.

Working Group 04 Ag Lab Data Nears Completion of Work

The Ag Lab Data Working Group is completing its final review of the Modus soil test tables. As that is completed, Working Group 00 Agrisemantics has helped the team the create object codes to greatly facilitate the exchange of test data while preserving the many detailed specifications for any single soil test. Next steps are to identify and provide content for an Implementation Kit.