AgGateway Enters Phase 3 of SPADE Project

Kelly MarshallAgGateway, Data, InfoAg

diagramapiThe third phase of AgGateway‘s Standardized Precision Ag Data Exchange (SPADE) Project is currently underway.  The project will continue work related to automated data exchange in precision farming– specifically crop scouting, crop nutrition, wireless asset and vehicle data exchange, and automation of commodity data for rail and truck transport.

24 companies, along with experts in precision agriculture are working together to improve efficiency and time savings for growers, give farmers the tools to share data with trading partners and for regulatory compliance, as well as improve the accuracy and tracking of that data.  This phase is scheduled for completion in December of 2016.

“SPADE continues to be one of the most productive and exciting activities in precision agriculture today,” said Project Chair Jeremy Wilson of Crop IMS. “We are already seeing applications in the field from these seminal efforts, with much more to come. As these changes are implemented, growers in the U.S. and around the world will be able to better manage their operations, with huge potential benefits in terms of their ongoing productivity and profitability.”

Project participants to date include Ag Connections, Ag Leader, AGCO, AgIntegrated, Charles Hillyer (Texas A&M), CNH Industrial, Crop IMS, Digi-Star, DTN, F4F Agriculture, Farmobile, Inserto, Heartland Co-op, Land O’Lakes, OAGi, Praxidyn, ProAg, Software Solutions Integrated, SST Software, Syngenta, Topcon, Trimble, XS Inc., and ZedX. The project is still accepting participants.

SPADE, which was launched in 2012, has produced essential work for seamless data exchange in seeding operations, field operations data interoperability, harvest operations, U.S. regulatory reporting, and crop protection operations. SPADE3 will specifically focus on seeding operations implementation, field operations data interoperability, harvest operations implementation, crop protection operations implementation, crop nutrition, grain handling, crop scouting and telematics. The wireless asset and vehicle focus will look at connectivity of computer devices on the farm regardless of brand – a common weakness in a farmer’s efforts today to capture and use data related to crop management. The rail and truck segment of the project will focus on ways to transact data used to track harvested grain from the field through the logistics process, and to the grain management system.

Get more information at InfoAg in St. Louis, Mo and AgGateway Annual Conference in San Antonio, Tx, or visit www.AgGateway.org.