Annual Report and 5-Year Plan

Annual Report

Annual Report and 5-Year Plan:  Enable Companies to Increase Efficiency, Agility and Profitability

By Susan Ruland, AgGateway Communications Director

The ability to efficiently manage and exchange data will be essential in equipping the agriculture industry to face economic, environmental, regulatory and marketing challenges in 2018 and beyond; and the work of AgGateway is central to that goal. That is the message in AgGateway’s newly released 2017 Annual Report, “AgGateway in Action”, and a message echoed by President and CEO Wendy Smith and Chairman Doug Mills at the Annual Conference last month.

“When we consider some of the top stories and challenges of our time – consolidation, the changing climate, uncertainty in government policies, the push for automation – it’s clear that data is the common thread that ties them all together,” said Smith. “In this environment we all need to be more efficient, more agile, and more creative – all things we are trying to facilitate through our work at AgGateway.”

The collection and exchange of data should be easy, she continued. “If we are successful at AgGateway, the only thing the industry should have to focus on is how it wants to use information to accomplish its goals…. By implementing standards and connecting electronically, companies will be able to collect and exchange the information they need to run efficiently, improve profitability and help their customers succeed.” Smith’s full remarks can be found here.

Doug Mills, CIO of The Mosaic Co., and 2017 Chair of the Strategic Board, said AgGateway’s new 5-year strategic plan will position the organization to tackle these challenges.

“Our updated mission statement is ‘to promote and enable the industry’s transition to digital agriculture and expand the use of information to maximize efficiency and productivity’,” Mills said. “In 2018 and the years ahead our members will work to develop and implement capabilities that efficiently integrate the entire value chain. We’ll also put specific plans in action to ensure member value, and increase membership and engagement.”

AgGateway’s 2017 Annual Report summarizes AgGateway’s new 5-year strategic plan. It also gives a brief update on the non-profit organization’s many activities and accomplishments this year, including the development and implementation of new standards, guidelines and resources in such areas as precision ag, seed, ag retail, specialty chemical, and other sectors. The report can be found here and on the home page of www.AgGateway.org.