e2open’s Post

The grains sector needs innovation and access to new technology.

The always insightful Rhishi P. reflected on last week's #FIRAUSA2023 event with a Software is Feeding the World post titled "Salinas, We Have a Problem." I particularly appreciated his focus on the custom farming market, the size and scope of which can often seem obscure to those not directly involved in farming (particularly in Specialty crops). Importantly, Rhishi’s insights provide a solid foundation for envisioning the future of farm services. I explored this topic earlier this year in my 2023 #FarmTech landscape post, mainly from the angle of custom farming productivity tools and marketplaces. For some time, I've advocated for a localized "Geek Squad" services model to address AgTech interoperability and support challenges. Rhishi's concept of regional network operations centers presents a dimension of deploying automation services that I find compelling. It intrinsically addresses the persistent challenges of scaling adoption and expanding the broader market opportunity beyond a handful of operators who can afford costly systems and in-house technical support. It brings the command and control model often deployed by large farm operators to more of the market which can not only drive better efficiencies but also more consistency in quality and forecasting. We've certainly seen John Deere and CNH Industrial, among others, step into the scaling automation game with strategic investments or M&A. Pacific Ag Rentals is also leading in this field. The critical question for me remains: how can we better support digitization for custom farming service providers so they are well-positioned to help drive future network operations centers? Undoubtedly, this is a long-term journey but it starts with what is possible today. I continue to meet savvy and innovative custom farming operators and independent PCA's hungry for ways to utilize data and automation to scale and differentiate. As with previous AgTech innovation cycles, we must gain a deeper understanding of the farm services market, its needs, barriers, and economics. Perhaps for specialty crops, UCANR is in the ideal position to aggregate the essential data to enable more solutions. Gabriel Youtsey Joshua Viers Leigh Bernacchi, PhD Walt Duflock Culterra Capital Five Rings Custom Farm Management and Harvesting Danny Ramos Ali Cox, OLY https://lnkd.in/gHS8JHB3

Technology & Business Vision: Energy, Water, Environment, Food & Agriculture, Life Sciences & Healthcare are the basic economic improvement & global techno-business development innovation direction. 

I will today be talking about our solution for enhancing farm and factory productivity in the sugarcane sector during session III: “Technology innovations/interventions in Agri and Food processing sectors”

As agribusiness CEOs look to revamp food supply chains in 2024, focusing on sustainability and efficiency, SATO's hardware and software solutions, including the FX3-LX label printer, are pivotal. These technologies offer precision and flexibility in labelling, essential for traceability and compliance in the food industry. Take a read on how AI and innovative solutions are transforming food supply chains. #fastfood #qsr #technology #traceability #contactless #foodsupplychain #foodsafety #AI #SATO #SATOEurope

The future of agriculture hinges on the integration of climate-smart technologies and education. By leveraging artificial intelligence, big data, and innovation, developing countries can turn agricultural challenges into growth opportunities (ADB).

GEMS Informatics: Unlocking the Potential of Data for Agri-Food Innovation 🌾 Access a secure web-based platform for storing, cleaning, exploring, sharing, and analyzing data. GEMS Platform makes it easy for researchers to collaborate on data-intensive projects and to share their findings with others. Discover, understand and solve a wide range of problems in the agri-food sector with GEMS Platform. Tackle long-standing challenges like: ✅ Track the movement of food and agricultural products through the supply chain. ✅ Identify and monitor pests and diseases affecting your crops. ✅ Develop new crop varieties that are resistant to drought and pests. ✅ Improve the efficiency of agricultural production. ✅ Reduce food waste. GEMS Platform is a valuable resource for researchers, businesses, and policymakers who are working to improve the agri-food system. If you are interested in learning more about GEMS Platform, please visit our website at www.gems.umn.edu Explore GEMS Platform and unlock all kinds of possibilities.

🚜 Using technology for agriculture is nothing new, using edge AI is! Edge AI is working with reduced latency as the data is processed directly on the device. 🌾 The goal is simple: improve efficiency, productivity, quality and safety of agricultural products. ❓Some questions remain: Are we innovative and efficient enough to design the right solutions? Do we have the infrastructure and human capacity to support this? Do you use technology on your agribusiness deals? https://lnkd.in/ek9zbtV4

Recently George Maris and Seema Shah shared their perspectives about harnessing the potential of next-generation technology. Examples of key topics include: 💻 The significant appreciation in the markets linked to these tech giants is intriguing; however, the more interesting story is the innovation and technological gains those companies will create in the future. 🚜 AI and new technology offer agricultural companies advanced abilities to monitor crops, quickly identify potential issues, and coordinate with global supply databases, moving the world toward a future with less food waste and hunger. From an investment perspective, the companies delivering leading-edge agriculture solutions will be in an attractive position over the coming decades. ➡️ Read more insights and opportunities around health care, infrastructure and more. Milken Institute #MIGlobal #PowerOfIdeas https://lnkd.in/ekZYjsD4

Network Update: As many of you are aware, I traditionally take a hiatus from social media from January 1st through March 31st. This break serves as a period for mental health rejuvenation and a dedicated time for focused research and writing. However, this January, circumstances call for a change in routine. I will remain active on social media due to my involvement in several critical projects that necessitate ongoing information dissemination and collaborative capacity building. Notably, I'm engaged in work related to the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), under the umbrella of DIASCA (Digital Integration of Agricultural Supply Chains Alliance). These initiatives are pivotal in shaping our industry's future, and I'm excited to share insights and developments with you all over the coming 6 months. Stay tuned for updates, and I look forward to our continued engagement during this period. For more information on these projects, please refer to the provided web link for DIASCA. Extract below: "The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) place new demands on companies. In future they will need to prove that they are meeting legal due diligence requirements. This creates an urgent need to trace and securely document the origins and sustainable production of agricultural products.  While the number of traceability solutions on the market is steadily rising, data incompatibilities unfortunately often mean that the various systems are unable to exchange data. Digital solutions are barely interoperable. As a result, both producer organisations and downstream actors in the supply chain have to collect, store and convert data repeatedly – requiring greater effort and making the process more susceptible to errors.  Digital standards for product traceability along supply chains could significantly improve efficiency and facilitate information exchange within supply chains. Such standards would serve as a basis for data exchange and reliable documentation of corporate due diligence obligations. Interoperability of traceability systems from producer to consumer would therefore benefit all actors along the supply chain, providing a way to tackle issues such as transparency, avoiding deforestation or ensuring living incomes for farmers." #traceability #digitaltransformation #foodchain