Articles

Connecting Ag Data Systems

The Chicago Farmers received an update on blockchain and data interoperability from guest speakers Dr. Stan Dotson and Martha King at the May 16, 2022, meeting. Dr. Dotson is an adviser to digital ag start-ups and was responsible for launching and leading Bayer Crop Science’s blockchain strategy as Vice President of Digital Strategy and Transformation. Ms. King is Vice President of Programs and Projects for the Farm Foundation.

Speaking via a video feed from Colorado, Mr. Dotson discussed “blockchain,” which is a digital ledger that captures diverse types of authentic real-world data. He noted that most people are more familiar with these types of ledgers than they realize. Many people use FedEx, Amazon, the ‘ring’ doorbell system, and UPS, which effectively keep ledgers of activity for your home. Some of these can message each other, but many cannot “talk” to each other.

Dr. Dotson said that blockchain ledgers are distributed and afford real time data synchronization without a middleman, have no limits on qualified participants, and smart contracts can be used to automate actions. An important element of the blockchain ledger is that it can be trusted, he said. In its distribution, the blockchain’s user can choose to keep their own node, which updates in real time; no one participant can alter an earlier record, data are shared only with those who have been given permission, and participants only see what they have been given permission to access. Additionally, the ledger is auditable and able to store information off chain with on-chain hash to validate authenticity.

Dr. Dotson related several ag uses that can be enhanced with the use of blockchain, such as food traceability, record keeping, commodity tracking, finance/barter system’s record keeping, data protection, sensor networks, and product rebates. He noted that these applications are being developed by companies.

He pointed out relevant trends impacting ag supply chains:

• Urban consumers looking for choice and trust in how their food is produced
• Food distribution, which is facing challenges from high profile recalls, food waste and disruptions due to such events as Covid and geopolitical situations
• Increased regulation for food safety, pesticide application, natural resource utilization

Dr. Dotson pointed out that blockchain enables the building of a more connected supply chain for all of agriculture. He said it provides the data and transparency to connect supply chains. It also offers traceability that unlocks new value while enhancing efficiency and safeguarding ag supply chains.

In discussing food traceability through blockchain technology, Dr. Dotson gave the example of tracing a seed from Bayer to the dealer to the grower and then to the elevator. The digital systems used were integrated to a blockchain and included such systems as DocuSign, local ERP system, FieldView and Bushel. He noted this was a digital solution that connected participants and replaced a highly manual process while creating trust.

Dr. Dotson outlined how one can participate in traceability:

• Identify a supply chain challenge with a narrow scope
• Define how collaborating will create value for participants and the end customer
• Share data via TraceHarvest, which connects technology to systems that people already were using, or another platform

Ms. King, who owns a farm that has been in her family since the 1850s, discussed the importance of data interoperability in agriculture, which is the ability to exchange and make use of data between devices and systems, such as using a bank card at different ATMs. She noted that when systems interoperate, users don’t get bogged down in trying to make each system “talk” with each other. The necessary requirements to enable interoperability include:

• Technical interoperability, the physical infrastructure must be in place to transport the data between systems
• Structural interoperability, the existence of common data structures and formats (shared syntax) enabling the exchange of information
• Semantic interoperability, language frameworks that establish shared meaning of the data, enabling systems to understand the information being exchanged

She went on to say that data interoperability is important in food and agriculture for a variety of reasons: to improve food safety, recall and traceability; to provide nutritional information of food for personalization; to transport and process food to minimize waste; to deliver food to where demand and need are greatest; to provide the ability to respond to the need for transparency in the supply chain; to improve on-farm functionality and day-to-day operations and reporting for farmers; to allow farmers to become more data driven; to support the efficient selling and buying of food, rewarding food producers with premium pricing for a variety of products; to fulfill agriculture's potential to draw down carbon and provide other beneficial ecosystem services; and to provide the structure for validating proof of label that is advocated by agriculture, producers processors, retailers, and consumers.

Unfortunately, noted Ms. King, the reality of the vision for digital agriculture is not in line with the benefits. She said there are two contradictory truths: rapid innovation and low adoption. Additionally, there is a disconnect from farmers’ needs and real barriers to adoption (e.g., limited rural connectivity) and lack of connectivity and integration among software and tools. Ms. King said that intervention is needed now because there is a high potential for innovation and adoption of new techniques.

Ms. King said there are four approaches to interoperability in agriculture: point-to-point integrations; linking systems of systems; formal standardization; and walled garden integrations.  There are dozens of non-profit, government, academic and industry efforts attempting to create interoperable data solutions for agriculture, but the problem persists, she said. Groups working on interoperable data are not “interoperating” and collaborating among themselves, Ms. King observed. Also, the splintering of efforts has hindered the overall progress on the shared goal of getting interoperable data solutions into the hands of farmers, and ultimately data flowing across the supply chain.

The goal of the Farm Foundation is to rectify the situation, she shared. Its plan is to connect and support the players who are developing interoperable data and to enhance agriculture through:

• Group information-sharing while protecting data sovereignty
• Identification of collaborative opportunities
• Examine the success and benefits other industries have seen with interoperable data
• Support practical, real-world solutions to scale data interoperability across more agricultural sectors

To achieve the goal, Farm Foundation sponsored “event storming” sessions such as the pork data event storming that occurred in November 2020. Farm Foundation also held an Advancing Digital Agriculture and Conservation Workshop in the summer of 2020, conducted the forum “Creating Supply Chain Agility Through Data Innovation” in 2020. Following the event storming, Farm Foundation and its partners kicked off the “Pork Hackathon Part I” in March 2021. The “hackathon” was a multi-day event that produced original open-source code to create an advance shipment notification that will allow farmers to connect to livestock haulers to processors.

Farm Foundation also sponsored Regenerative Ranching Data Round-Up in August 2021 and authored an issue paper on data interoperability that was published in October 2021. Upcoming is the Fixing Soil Health Tech Stack: Gathering for Action, a two-day virtual conference on August 23-24, 2022.