Annual Meeting, Agritechnica Close Year with a Bang

From The President

Annual Meeting, Agritechnica Close Year with a Bang

By Brent Kemp, President and CEO

The year may be coming to a close, but AgGateway is not slowing down. Last month, we completed our Annual Meeting and Conference in Clearwater, Florida, USA, with great energy and incredible conversations and networking. Attendees brought great attitudes and big ideas that helped set the stage for 2026’s work plan. The deep-dive discussions around AI – and buzz on topics like business message syntax and the resources AgGateway hosts to develop and implement connections – demonstrate the value of in-person meetings and the work we do together.

Immediately following the Clearwater meeting, Ben Craker, Conny Graumans, and I represented AgGateway at the 2025 Agritechnica trade show in Hannover, Germany. For those who have not had the opportunity to visit, Agritechnica is billed as the world’s largest farm show. Big Iron equipment, farm management systems, autonomous and human piloted vehicles, and more occupy more than 320,000 square meters.

It's impossible in a short article to mention everyone we encountered. Rest assured we appreciated every conversation! We enjoyed meeting with long-time supporters like Alex Thomasson from Mississippi State University, Joe Luck from the University of Nebraska, and John Fulton from Ohio State University to share experiences.

We were co-exhibitors with our friends at the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation and learned more about their AgIN connectivity service. We were privileged to be at the launch of developer access to Syngenta’s CropWise service and appreciated the shoutout that Feroz Sheikh gave to AgGateway in supporting standards-based data exchange.

We also shared quite a bit of time with board member Patricia Perez and her co-worker Nicolas Robin. Patricia pointed us to companies on the floor to go visit and advocated for engagement with AgGateway as she visited with her partners and customers. Thanks, Patricia!

After spending seven days at the show, I came away with a broader appreciation for all the technology that is available to farmers and their trading partners. Robots and drones were well represented in our building, as were several farm management software solutions. AgGateway’s work on ADAPT Standard, field boundaries, and remote imaging are all well positioned to support retailers and their service providers working to upload prescriptions and download as-applied data – regardless of the platform.

Needs for product information, procurement and logistics, and inventory management are all well addressed in resources like AGIIS and the XML messages and other standards. Not all FMIS systems were interested in integration or interoperability, which was a bit of a surprise. However, those that wanted to expand their business beyond their locality or be more competitive were vocal about the need to implement industry standards rather than make one-off connections. AgGateway stands ready to support those conversations and industry discussions.

As I said, we are sprinting to the very end this year! As you read this, Paul and I are walking the exhibit floor at the ARA Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the first week of December. We look forward to conversations with members and to listening and learning about the challenges and opportunities facing retail.

The following week, AgGateway’s Europe region holds its year-end seminar in Paris, France. Hosted by member Agro EDI Europe, our agenda includes an update on current and prospective working groups, responses to regional legislative data requirements, reports on relevant standards and resource developments in AEF and ISO, and much more. It will be a fast-paced day.

Fast-paced is the way we’re putting a bow on 2025, but we are looking forward to a respite with family and friends during the holidays. We wish all of you a restful and peaceful celebration.

Finally, on behalf of the staff, thank you for your engagement, passion, and support for your AgGateway organization. We look forward to a great year ahead filled with meaningful work, implementation, and impact.