2017 January | February Newsletter

2017 January | February Newsletter

Welcome New Members! 

 Americot, Inc. 

 Planet Labs Inc. 

Mark Your Calendars! 2017 

Mid-Year Meeting - June 12-15, 2017 

Annual Conference - Nov 6-9 

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


A great council leadership orientation meeting in Raleigh, N.C., in January! 
eConnectivity Matters

The Hidden Benefits of  Volunteering

By Wendy Smith, AgGateway President & CEO

The most enjoyable aspect of my job - and the one where I feel most privileged to serve - is working with the many AgGateway volunteers who raise their hands and take on leadership positions in councils, committees, projects and other working groups. What I've noticed over the years is that these volunteers come in many personality types - from outgoing to introverted, from upbeat to a bit gruff, from seasoned leaders to young managers just getting their start. But there are two things they all have in common: a commitment to eConnectivity in agriculture and related sectors, and a desire to work together to achieve that eConnectivity. These traits of commitment and collaboration are at the heart of what makes AgGateway successful. And they're also extremely rewarding to experience in action. > Read more

New Member

Husch Blackwell, LLP

By Natasha Lilly, The Equity

Please welcome to AgGateway Husch Blackwell, LLP, a full-service law firm with over 700 attorneys, over 50 of whom are committed to the legal needs of the food and agribusiness industry. After speaking with Joan Archer, PhD, J.D., a partner with Husch Blackwell, I could understand how passionate Husch Blackwell is to be involved in AgGateway.
"I, along with my other partner, am excited to contribute to the work of the members of AgGateway because our involvement aligns with our firm's motto 'Industry First,'" said Archer. > Read more

Leadership Profile

Doug Mills, CIO at Mosaic and Chair, AgGateway Strategic Board

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've been involved with AgGateway since the organization's inception in 2005 and have served on the board of directors for several years. Currently, I am the Chair of the AgGateway Strategic Board.
Give us a quick synopsis of your career path - where did you start, and where are you now?
I have been involved in agriculture since growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan. After college, I began work as a systems designer for Dow Chemical in Alberta. After a couple of years, I relocated to Saskatchewan for an IT role at one of our potash mines and have remained in the information technology field ever since. I transferred to Chicago during the late '90s to work on an ERP project and was subsequently promoted to Chief Information Officer.  I moved to Minnesota as Mosaic's CIO when our company was formed in 2004. 
> Read more 

AgGateway Global Network

AgGateway Global Network Finishes 2016 Strong; Big Plans for 2017 


By Jim Wilson, AgGateway and AgGateway Global Network

AgGateway (North America) and AgGateway Europe are going strong. AgGateway Latin America is forming. While not news, those points are a reminder that put two exciting developments in global context. 

At AgGateway's (North America) Annual Conference in November, Professor Kiyoshi Honda from the Chubu Institute for Advanced Studies, Chubu University, shared with a capacity crowd some of the important work taking place in Japan that is complementary to work being pursued in regional AgGateways. During the presentation, Honda proposed beginning the process to establish an AgGateway Japan. In February, in my new role as AgGateway Global Network President, I'll begin working on this with Honda. I'm also scheduled to visit Japan in May. Honda and Kyohei Ohtsuka of Fujitsu Research have already been collaborating with the SPADE, PAIL, and ADAPT groups on developing a vocabulary scheme for Observations and Measurements that can be used across all regional AgGateways.  > Read more 

eConnectivity Planning

Not Just Another Year 

By Josh Wall, AgGateway
Kids have a unique perspective on life and it is probably worth our time listening to their input. This New Year's Eve, our family had a small gathering with friends. While we prepared for the event, the television was on and there was talk about the large New Year's Eve celebrations that would occur that evening all across the country. My 9-year-old son heard there would be "a ball dropping" somewhere and wanted to know what happened after the "ball dropped". I explained that this was a way to ring in the "New Year" but it was probably not that exciting for him as the ball did not contain candy or video games; it just meant the New Year was here. My son's response to me was, "Dad, that seems silly to just drop a ball, and there is nothing more that happens". After a few days of contemplating this conversation, I realized he was absolutely correct. It is silly to celebrate a "New Year" if we do nothing.  > Read more 

AIDC and Barcoding

The Power of eConnectivity and Barcoding Technology: Webinar

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

Join the Auto Identification Data Capture (AIDC) Task Force in an encore presentation of our joint webinar with the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA). You'll hear stories of eConnectivity and barcoding from Ceres Solutions, River Valley Cooperative, Heartland Cooperative, Key Cooperative, and J.R. Simplot Company. This webinar is a great foundation if you're company is looking to implement more efficient, accurate, and connected processes.
Webinar Link: 

AgGateway News

AgGateway in the News

By Kristin Nottingham, Software Solutions Integrated, LLC

AgGateway has been highlighted in the news in multiple ways during the past couple of months, including references to a few of our members! Read the articles below to find out more. 
5 Ag Data Trends to Watch in 2017, AgWeb - January 30, 2017; Groups such as AgGateway are trying to break down barriers among companies so data can be more easily integrated across platforms, agricultural lawyer Todd Janzen says.
ZimmCast with CNH Industrial, AgWired - January 23, 2017; The new Industry Relations Manager, Precision Solutions and Telematics for CNH Industrial is Dan Danford... Dan will be getting involved with organizations like the Agricultural Data Coalition and AgGateway. Part of his job is to work with groups like these that are trying to create commonality of data and develop an industry approach that makes thing clearer for all customers.
I've got a brand new combine harvester and I'll give you the API key, The Register - January 25, 2017; Two decades ago a tractor manufacturer was fitting smart sensors to its devices. Blending the agricultural and the technological were a natural fit, John Deere's Georg Larscheid told The Register... John Deere is also a member of AgGateway, a consortium dedicated to "eBusiness in agriculture."
McArdle Installed as ARA Chairman, Farm Journal's AGPRO - January 2, 2017; Tim McArdle, EVP and COO of Brandt, was installed as the chairman of the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) at a ceremony during the annual ARA Conference and Expo in Orlando, Fla. He is also a current member of the board of directors for the Fluid Fertilizer Foundation, ResponsibleAg and AgGateway.
Groups gearing up with data help, Farm Industry News - December 6, 2016; Farmers will soon have better access and control of their data as well as seamless sharing of information between hardware and software systems... AgGateway is working on common meanings, processes and formats for farmers' data across the industry. Several precision ag projects are under way, including the new ADAPT software toolkit that enables interoperability among different software and hardware applications.