Joshua Carson has a very unique job. He is an API Evangelist for John Deere- a new job position he says is about making a software developer’s life easier. It’s his responsibility to take the ideas of a developer and show them how to work with John Deere’s API in the Operations Center to make sure that idea is available to farmers.

“If they express interest in John Deere, […] I help on the technical, I dream up solutions, I help you know if something is practical and real,” Carson told Chuck Zimmerman at the Develop with Deere conference in Kansas City.

And most ideas are real. Some need a reality check, but mostly developers just need to know how to make them work. Most often heard misconceptions about John Deere’s program hinge in grower data, Caron says. Companies think the data is available to them as a third-party developer, but data belongs to the grower at John Deere, and the grower decides who sees it.

Another challenge for his job can be helping people see the value in having a platform. Farm equipment is direct and obvious, but platforms can be a bit more hazy if they don’t directly affect yield or control price. But a platform can bring a lot of value to a farm and people are beginning to really understand that, as is evident by the excitement around this year’s conference.

“There are a lot of solutions we can be delivering to market,” Carson says. Its about finding the right people and putting together the right skills. And that’s what Develop with Deere is all about.

Listen to all Carson had to say here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/jd-develop-16-carson.mp3″ text=”Interview with Joshua Carson, John Deere”]

Photos from this year’s conference can be found here: Develop with Deere Photo Album