U.S. patent application number 13/500237 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-18 for system and method of providing agricultural pedigree for agricultural products throughout production and distribution and use of the same for communication, real time decision making, predictive modeling, risk sharing and sustainable agriculture.
The applicant listed for this patent is Maris Klavins. Invention is credited to Maris Klavins.
Application Number | 20130185104 13/500237 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45928104 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130185104 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Klavins; Maris |
July 18, 2013 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING AGRICULTURAL PEDIGREE FOR
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS THROUGHOUT PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION AND
USE OF THE SAME FOR COMMUNICATION, REAL TIME DECISION MAKING,
PREDICTIVE MODELING, RISK SHARING AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Abstract
A method for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
agricultural products comprises the steps of: (a) Providing an open
communication network accessible information storage device adapted
to receive input of data relating to agricultural product
production and distribution from multiple sources; (b) Inputting
said data into said information storage device; (c) Storing and
said data; and (d) Providing access to said data via the open
communication network, wherein the information storage device is
configured to be used as at least: (i) A tool for traceability of
the agricultural products, (ii) A real time decision making tool,
and (iii) A predictive modeling tool.
Inventors: |
Klavins; Maris; (Raleigh,
NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Klavins; Maris |
Raleigh |
NC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
45928104 |
Appl. No.: |
13/500237 |
Filed: |
October 4, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
October 4, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US11/54689 |
371 Date: |
June 12, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61389851 |
Oct 5, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/018 20130101;
G06Q 10/063 20130101; G06Q 10/0631 20130101; A01M 17/00 20130101;
G06Q 50/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/7.12 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 50/02 20060101
G06Q050/02 |
Claims
1. A method for establishing an agricultural pedigree for at least
one agricultural product comprising: a) Providing an open
communication network accessible information storage device adapted
to receive input of data relating to at least one of the
agricultural product's production, harvesting, distribution,
processing and consumption from at least one, and preferably from
multiple sources; b) Inputting said data into said information
storage device; c) Storing said data; and d) Providing access to at
least a portion of said data via the open communication network,
wherein the information storage device is configured to be used as
at least: one of: i. A tool for traceability of the agricultural
products, ii. A tool for establishing the agricultural pedigree of
the agricultural product, iii. A real time decision making tool,
and iv. A predictive modeling tool.
2. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of
coordinatingly orchestrating at least one of the production,
harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption of the
agricultural product via the open communication network.
3. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of
evaluating a sustainability measurement for the agricultural
product according to predefined sustainability parameters, and
optionally, assigning it a sustainability rating based upon a
sustainability scale.
4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the step of evaluating a
sustainability measurement for the agricultural product is at least
part of the predictive modeling tool.
5. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of
evaluating compliance of the agricultural product with preexisting
standards in accordance with predefined standard requirements.
6. The method according to claim 1 further including the steps of
accessing and predicting at least one measurement of the
agricultural product including a sustainability measurement, a
profitability measurement, a water usage measurement, a carbon
footprint measurement, a risk management measurement, and an energy
measurement.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of inputting
the data into the information storage device includes inputting one
or more contemporaneous inputs over time throughout at least one of
the production, harvesting, distribution, processing and
consumption of the agricultural product.
8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of inputting
the data into the information storage device includes collecting
selected agricultural information of an agricultural pedigree for
the agricultural product through a computerized interview
process.
9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of
using at least one of the predictive modeling tool and the real
time decision making tool to facilitate risk sharing associated
with the production of the agricultural product by validating the
risks associated with the production of the agricultural
product.
10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of
allowing access to the information storage device to at least one
of an agricultural product producer, harvester, packager,
transporter, processor, distributor and consumer, and communication
between at least two of the agricultural product producer,
harvester, packager, transporter, processor, distributor and
consumer.
11. A system for establishing an agricultural pedigree for at least
one agricultural product comprising an open communication network
accessible information storage device adapted to receive input of
data relating to at least one of the agricultural product's
production, harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption,
from at least one and preferably from multiple sources, wherein the
information storage device is configured to be used as at least one
of: i) A tool for traceability of the agricultural products, ii) A
tool for establishing the agricultural pedigree of the agricultural
product, iii) A real time decision making tool, and iv) A
predictive modeling tool.
12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system is
configured to coordinatingly orchestrate at least one of the
production, harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption of
the agricultural product via the open communication network.
13. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system is
configured to evaluate a sustainability measurement for the
agricultural product according to predefined sustainability
parameters, and optionally, assign it a sustainability rating based
upon a sustainability rating scale.
14. The system according to claim 13 wherein the evaluation of a
sustainability measurement for the agricultural product is at least
part of the predictive modeling tool.
15. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system is
configured to evaluate compliance of the agricultural product with
preexisting standards in accordance with predefined standard
requirements.
16. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system is
configured to access and predict at least one measurement of the
agricultural product including a sustainability measurement, a
profitability measurement, a water usage measurement, a carbon
footprint measurement, a risk management measurement, and an energy
measurement.
17. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system is
configured to include inputting one or more contemporaneous inputs
into the agricultural pedigree system over time throughout at least
one of the production, harvesting, distribution, processing and
consumption of the agricultural product.
18. The system according to claim 11 wherein the wherein the system
is configured to include a computerized interview process for
collecting selected agricultural information of an agricultural
pedigree system.
19. The system according to claim 11 wherein the wherein the system
is configured to use at least one of the predictive modeling tool
and the real time decision making tool to facilitate risk sharing
associated with the production of the agricultural product by
validating the risks associated with the production of the
agricultural product.
20. The system according to claim 11 wherein the wherein the system
is configured to allow access to the information storage device to
at least one of an agricultural product producer, harvester,
packager, transporter, processor, distributor and consumer, and
communication between at least two of said agricultural product
producer, harvester, packager, transporter, processor, distributor
and consumer.
21-84. (canceled)
Description
[0001] The present invention claims priority of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/389,851 entitled "A System and
Method of Coordinating Information Relating to Food Production and
Distribution" filed Oct. 5, 2010.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates in general to the field of
agriculture, and more particularly to a system and method for
coordinating information relating to the production and tracking of
agricultural products and any by-products thereof. The present
invention is also directed to utilizing such information for, among
other purposes, communication, real time decision making,
predictive modeling, risk sharing and/or sustainable agriculture
purposes.
[0004] 2. Background Information
[0005] The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "symphonic" in
one of its definitions as "suggestive of a symphony especially in
form, interweaving of themes or harmonious arrangement." Usually, a
symphony is comprised of several sections of instruments, each with
its own characteristics and attributes. During a typical warm up
session, each member of each section often plays their own
individual warm up routines, and resulting cacophony is most
discordant and unpleasant. But with a tap of a baton, the orchestra
conductor coordinates the individuals and the sections, to produce
quite the opposite result. In many ways, current global
food/agricultural products production is in a state similar to that
of a symphony in its warm up session, awaiting and in need of the
presence of the orchestra conductor. The present invention is
directed to addressing that need.
[0006] In some instances below, the following discussion will focus
on the production of specific agricultural crops for simplicity. It
is to be understood that this is simply a mechanism to facilitate
description of the present invention in a manner that is easy to
understand. The present invention is not so limited as is pointed
out below. Similarly, while the discussion below may focus on the
production of agricultural products from seeds, the invention is
equally not so limited and includes all forms of agricultural
product production, whether from seed or other starting material,
and is not limited to plant-based agricultural products, but
includes for example, meat, poultry, fish, but the invention
certainly is not so limited. For the avoidance of doubt, the term
agricultural product as used herein includes all of these and any
other agricultural products used for any purpose, including but not
limited to food, clothing, medicine or any other purpose.
[0007] In the current state of global food/agricultural product
production, there are conceptually speaking, at least two items
being harvested from any field where such crops are grown. First,
of course, are the crops themselves. Secondly, and equally
importantly in the current world, is the need to harvest
information relating to the crop itself. The information associated
with the agricultural product that may be collected is substantial
indeed. For example, with regard to seed based agricultural
products, it includes but is not limited to, information relating
to the location of planting, the timing of planting, the variety
being planted. Where, when and how the seeds were produced,
transported and stored? Was it genetically modified? Were the seeds
treated or coated in any way? If so, with what and when? How and
when were the seeds planted? What kind of soil? How deep? How much
water was applied? Were any insecticides, fungicides, herbicides,
fertilizers and/or any other active or inactive ingredients used
before, during or soon after planting? If so, what and when and how
much of such materials were applied? If any such materials were
used, were they applied in furrow, foliarly, post emergence,
pre-emergence or combinations thereof? Was such material applied as
drench, drip or spray? What this in a greenhouse, a field or other
location? If a field, was the field fenced off or otherwise
protected in any manner for any purpose, such as but not limited to
pest control for example by preventing infestation by deer, mice,
insects, fungi, etc. What were the weather conditions during the
growth cycle? How much rain? When? What daytime temperatures? What
night time temperatures? Were any materials applied post-harvest,
such as in storage facilities or to coat/treat the harvested food
product for long term storage, appealing looks or other
reasons?
[0008] After harvest, a similar set of information applies to the
entirety of the collection and distribution steps. For example: who
transported the crop? When was it picked up at the farm? What path
did it take in its distribution to the final consumer? How was it
packaged? In what type of vehicle or other transportation device
was it transported? Was it stored anywhere in its distribution? Was
it treated in any manner during its harvesting, packaging, and/or
distribution? If stored, where? How long? Under what conditions?
When was it shipped? When did it arrive? When it left the farm, did
it go directly to a consumer or a food processor or an
international shipper or other destination? Was it inspected or
graded by any governmental or other agencies during its production
and distribution, and if so, what agencies, when and what were the
results?
[0009] The foregoing is illustrative only, and the nature, form and
amount of information that is relevant to the planting, harvest,
sale, transportation and final disposition of the crop varies
greatly and is often quite large and is growing in size and
complexity, in part because expanding technology is capturing more
and more information in our world, leading to the result that the
information is becoming of great value, in some cases, as valuable
as the crop itself. In short, the information starting with the
agricultural product's entire pedigree in terms of its history of
development and preparation for planting, through the entire growth
cycle, through harvest, distribution, processing where applicable,
and end user consumption are replete with volumes of useful and
necessary information/data.
[0010] The reasons for and/or entities desiring access to such data
collection are equally numerous and vary with a wide variety of
interested participants. Outbreaks of diseases, which can be
dangerous or even fatal in nature, such as E coli etc, can set up
the need to be able to trace the production of an agricultural
product to find the source of infection. Indeed, attempts have been
made to pass food safety legislation directed to such matters. And
regulatory bodies such as the US EPA, and/or food protection
agencies such as the US FDA and/or USDA may demand such
information. Consumers with certain preferences/ideologies, whether
secular or religious for example, relating to the manner in which
food is produced may want to know the agricultural product's
history/pedigree to confirm that it comports with their
beliefs/desires/traditions. Consumer's with preferences/ideologies
completely unrelated to the food itself may have an interest in
knowing its pedigree, as for example, consumers or others
interested in preserving energy may want to know how much energy
was expended in producing the agricultural product and/or was it
done in a "sustainable" fashion, was it grown with a minimal carbon
footprint, minimal water usage or other factors related to
sustainability. Sustainability here may include or as a separate
matter, the efficiency of conversion of the agricultural product to
produce energy (e.g. use as a biodiesel or ethanol based product)
or even the efficiency of converting the agricultural product into
human energy, e.g. calories, may be considered. Other entities,
such as large retail distributors, are also often equally as
interested in such information, with a desire to promote sales of
their goods by purchasing them from growers expending the least
energy and maintaining a "sustainable" method to produce the
agricultural product. Exporters and governmental units overseeing
the exportation and/or importation in the US and other countries
also desire to know such information to determine if the
agricultural product meets, for example, sanitary, phyto-sanitary
and MRL standards for a company importing such agricultural
products. MRL stands for "maximum residue level" and means the
highest residue level permitted, (and usually determined by a
governmental agency appointed to regulate such matters in a given
country or state), of an active ingredient on a treated commodity
or crop. Failure to meet the MRL standard set by the importing
country will mean the agricultural product will be refused entry
into that market, and in such cases, there may not be enough time
to divert the agricultural product to an accepting country before
the agricultural product is lost, depending upon the timing and
nature of the agricultural product. Also included is information
relation to the agricultural product's shelf life or other storage
or "use by" dates, directions, recommendations or procedures. Still
further is included information relating to cooking, preparing,
blending and/or otherwise processing the agricultural product if
processing of it is involved.
[0011] These are only some of the types of information being
generated from the field/farm/fishery/range or other location where
the agricultural product is being produced and are only some of
those who are interested in such information spanning production
and distribution of the agricultural product, such as, in the case
of a seed based agricultural product for example, from the time of
seed creation through consumption by the end user/consumer. A
detailed list of either the information and/or those who would make
use of such information would be virtually limitless.
[0012] Efforts have been made to track discreet packets of such
information. For example, today's modern tractor is a technological
wonder, having the ability to guide itself with GPS and provide its
crop and/or crop inputs and chemicals almost without, and in some
cases, fully without, the need for an operator on board. Equally
impressive are the systems aboard such tractors to track when and
where the tractor was used, and what it was planting, harvesting,
spraying or otherwise doing when it was utilized in the course of
the production of the agricultural product. Further, systems are
known that are associated with such tractors and/or farm equipment
to collect that information and provide it to a recipient, such as
a grower, often involving computers and communication devices to
transmit and receive such data. Satellite technology too grows
rapidly each day in its sophistication and capability and can or
will soon measure parameters such as insect stress, fungal stress,
drought stress, soil moisture, soil pH, mineral content, nitrogen
content (e.g. to provide a plan for variable rate fertilization for
example), growth rates, yields, actual and projected, among others.
And detecting any such parameters, satellites can turn on or off
equipment, such as irrigation systems, in response to what the
satellite has observed. Indeed, such a satellite can convey its
information directly to its technological partner, the tractor, and
can instruct the tractor what to apply when and where to the field
and/or when to harvest or otherwise act upon the agricultural
product for optimum results. And with global positioning technology
and timing devices, the tractor will know where, where and how to
conduct such treatment, and can even do so fully automatically
without human intervention. Control of a field, for a field based
agricultural product, at levels, or even micro-levels heretofore
unknown are possible with modern satellite technology. Precision
agricultural practices, non stop over, 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year are possible with such technology.
[0013] Similarly, for the production, harvest, storage,
transportation and/or processing stages to the end user/consumer,
there are methods at each step in the process of producing the
agricultural product that collect certain portions/packets of
information. But just as a symphony in warm up session, these
separated, uncoordinated independent sources of data operate
without harmony, and there remains a long and deep-felt need in the
industry for a method and/or system that can "tap the baton" to
coordinate this data in a fashion that is usable all along the
chain from its early stages of production of the agricultural
product, as for example with a seed-based agricultural product,
from seed production, through planting and growth, through harvest,
storage, distribution, processing where applicable and final
consumption. It is also desired that such a system/method be easily
accessible and easily used by some or all of those who have need of
its information.
[0014] The present invention is directed to fulfilling these and
other needs, and is described below. It is an object of the present
invention to address the deficiencies of the prior art discussed
above and to provide a system and method of providing agricultural
pedigree for agricultural products throughout production and
distribution and use of the same for, among other purposes,
communication, real time decision making, predictive modeling, risk
sharing and/or sustainable agriculture purposes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The various embodiments and examples of the present
invention as presented herein are understood to be illustrative of
the present invention and not restrictive thereof and are
non-limiting with respect to the scope of the invention.
[0016] Within the meaning of this specification Agriculture is the
cultivation of plants and animals for food, fiber and other useful
products; and Traceability with regard to agricultural products is
the ability to track agricultural products throughout the entirety
of the production and distribution chain. One description of
traceability of agricultural products is the ability to track the
products from starting materials to end uses, as for example with
seed-based agricultural products, from the creation of the seeds,
through their planting, growing, harvesting of the crop, through
its distribution directly or indirectly (e.g. through food
processors, shippers and the like), to the end customers/consumers.
The Merriam Webster Free On-line Dictionary defines "pedigree" as
the origin and history of something. Additionally, within the
meaning of this specification Agricultural Pedigree refers to the
origin and history of an agricultural product, from its earliest of
stages of creation of its starting materials (e.g. for seed-based
agricultural products it would be the creation of the seeds, for
example) through its production, harvest, distribution and final
consumption, and may be considered a record of some or all of the
inputs, treatments and processes performed on or to a given
agricultural product in its production and distribution, some or
all of which may be selected and/or defined by one or more entities
making use in one or more ways of such Agricultural Pedigree.
[0017] Within the meaning of this specification, Sustainable
Agriculture may be defined as "an integrated system of plant and
animal production practices that will last over the long term and
will: satisfy human food and fiber needs; make the most efficient
use of non-renewable and on-farm resources and integrate, where
appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the
economic viability of farm operations; and enhance the quality of
life for farmers and society as a whole." Alternatively Sustainable
Agriculture can be broadly described as the practice of farming
using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between
organisms and their environment. Sustainable Agriculture in the
United States was addressed by the 1990 farm bill. More recently,
as consumer and retail demand for sustainable products has risen,
organizations such as Food Alliance and Protected Harvest have
started to provide measurement standards and certification programs
for what constitutes a sustainably grown crop.
[0018] Within the meaning of this specification an open
communication network represents a network that can be accessed by
additional devices coming into or onto the network, such as the
internet. Alternatively a wide area network or (WAN) could form an
open communication network within the meaning of this application,
wherein a WAN is a telecommunication network that covers a broad
area (e.g., any network that links across metropolitan, regional,
or national boundaries). For example, business and government
entities often utilize WANs to relay data among employees, clients,
buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations.
Additionally a collection of interconnected Local Area Networks
(LANs) could form an open communication network within the meaning
of this application where one or more of the LANs can be accessed
by additional devices coming into or onto the interconnected
networks. With the rapid rate of advancement of science and
technology in this area it is very difficult to predict all of the
permutations of an open communications network that may come into
being during the term of this patent, but nonetheless such devices
are within the scope of this invention if they are capable of
performing the functions described herein with regard to the open
communication network of the present invention.
[0019] Within the meaning of this specification decision support
system or DSS is a computer-based information system that supports
individual, organizational, or other decision making activities.
DSSs often serve the management, operations, and planning levels of
an organization and help to make decisions, which may be rapidly
changing and not easily specified in advance. DSSs include
knowledge-based systems. In one embodiment, a properly designed DSS
is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision
makers compile useful information from a combination of raw data,
documents, personal knowledge, or business models to identify and
solve problems and make decisions. Within this application a real
time decision making tool is a communication and data-driven DSS or
data-oriented DSS which emphasizes access to and manipulation of a
time series or history of data to the date of the decision. Within
this application a predictive modeling tool is a model-driven DSS
which utilizes and emphasizes access to and manipulation of a
statistical, financial, optimization, or other simulation model to
enable decision makers to evaluate alternative decision making
scenarios and to predict, and, optionally, compare, rank or
otherwise examine and consider and/or manipulate such
scenarios.
[0020] Within the meaning of this specification, in its broadest
sense an information storage device references a device capable of
storing information and/or data, without limitation to its
particular design components and regardless of how or on what media
the information is stored. It is preferred that the information
storage device is capable of retrieval and other manipulation of
the information it is storing. With the rapid rate of advancement
of science and technology in this area it is very difficult to
predict all of the permutations of information storage devices that
may come into being during the term of this patent, but nonetheless
such devices are within the scope of this invention if they are
capable of performing the functions described herein with regard to
the information storage device of the present invention. Presently,
in one embodiment, the information storage device can be an
electronic data storage device to store and retrieve that data,
such as a computer data storage device. Data may be stored in
either an analog or digital format on a variety of media, and the
particular media is not limiting to the present invention.
[0021] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
at least one agricultural product comprises the steps of: (a)
Providing an open communication network accessible information
storage device adapted to receive input of data relating to
agricultural product production and distribution speaking
generally, or more particularly, relating to at least one of the
agricultural product's production, harvesting, distribution,
processing and consumption, from at least one and preferably
multiple sources; (b) Inputting said data into said information
storage device; (c) Storing said data; and (d) Providing access to
at least a portion of said data via the open communication network,
wherein the information storage device is configured to be used as
at least one of: (i) A tool for traceability of the agricultural
products, (ii) A tool for establishing the agricultural pedigree of
the agricultural product, (iii) A real time decision making tool,
and (iv) A predictive modeling tool.
[0022] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a system for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
at least one agricultural product comprises an open communication
network accessible information storage device adapted to receive
input of data relating to at least one of the agricultural
product's production, harvesting, distribution, processing and
consumption, from at least one and preferably from multiple
sources, wherein the information storage device is configured to be
used as at least one of: i) A tool for traceability of the
agricultural product, ii) A tool for establishing the agricultural
pedigree of the agricultural product, iii) A real time decision
making tool, and iv) A predictive modeling tool.
[0023] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
at least one agricultural product comprises the steps of: a)
Providing an open communication network accessible information
storage device adapted to receive input of data relating to at
least one of the agricultural product's production, harvesting,
distribution, processing and consumption, from at least one and
preferably from multiple sources; b) Inputting one or more
contemporaneous inputs into the information storage system over
time throughout at least one of the production, harvesting,
distribution, processing and consumption of the agricultural
product; c) Storing said data; and d) Providing access to at least
a portion of said data via the open communication network.
[0024] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, an agricultural pedigree system for at least one
agricultural product comprises an open communication network
accessible information storage device adapted to receive input of
data relating to at least one of the agricultural product's
production, harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption,
from at least one and preferably from multiple sources and
configured for one or more contemporaneous inputs into the
information storage device over time throughout at least one of the
production, harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption of
the agricultural product.
[0025] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
at least one agricultural product comprises the steps of: a)
Providing an information storage device adapted to receive input of
data relating to at least one of the agricultural product's
production, harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption;
b) Inputting through a computerized interview process data into the
information storage device; c) Storing said data; and d) Providing
access to at least a portion of the data.
[0026] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
at least one agricultural product comprises the steps of: a)
Providing an information storage device adapted to receive input of
data relating to at least one of the agricultural product's
production, harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption;
b) Inputting data into the information storage device; c) Storing
said data; d) Providing access to at least a portion of the data;
and e) Evaluating compliance of the agricultural product with
preexisting standards in accordance with predefined standard
requirements.
[0027] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, an agricultural pedigree system for at least one
agricultural product comprises an open communication network
accessible information storage device adapted to receive input of
data relating to at least one of the agricultural product's
production, harvesting, distribution, processing and consumption,
from at least one and preferably from multiple sources and
configured for evaluating compliance of the agricultural product
with preexisting standards in accordance with predefined standard
requirements.
[0028] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a system coordinating at least one of the harvesting,
packaging, transporting, processing, distribution and consumption
of at least one agricultural product comprises an open
communication network accessible information storage device adapted
to receive input of data relating to agricultural product
production and distribution from at least one, and preferably from
multiple sources, wherein the information storage device is
configured to be accessed by at least one of: a an agricultural
product producer, harvester, packager, transporter, processor,
distributor and consumer, and communication between at least two of
said producer, said harvester, said packager, said transporter,
said processor, said distributor and said consumer.
[0029] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for coordinating the harvesting, packaging,
transporting, processing and distribution of at least one
agricultural product comprises the steps of: a) Providing an open
communication network accessible information storage device adapted
to receive input of data relating to agricultural product
production and distribution from multiple sources; b) Inputting
said data into said information storage device; c) Storing said
data; d) Providing access to the information storage system to at
least one of: a producer, a harvester, a packager, a transporter, a
processor, a distributor and a consumer; and e) providing
communication over said open communication network between at least
two of said producer, said harvester, said packager, said
transporter, said processor, said distributor and said
consumer.
[0030] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a system for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
agricultural products comprises an open communication network
accessible information storage device adapted to receive input of
data relating to agricultural product production and distribution
from multiple sources, wherein the information storage device is
configured to be used as at least one of a real time decision
making tool and a predictive modeling tool.
[0031] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for establishing an agricultural pedigree for
agricultural products comprises the steps of: a) Providing an open
communication network accessible information storage device adapted
to receive input of data relating to agricultural product
production and distribution from multiple sources; b) Inputting
said data into said information storage device; c) Storing and said
data; and d) Providing access to said data via the open
communication network, wherein the information storage device is
configured to be used as at least one of a real time decision
making tool and a predictive modeling tool.
[0032] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for providing traceability of at least one
agricultural product comprises: providing an open communication
network accessible information storage device adapted to receive
input of data relating generally to agricultural product production
and distribution and more particularly to the agricultural
product's production, harvesting, distribution, processing and
consumption, from at least one and preferably from multiple
sources; inputting said data into said information storage device;
storing said data; and providing access to at least a portion of
said data via the open communication network, wherein the
information storage device is configured to be used as a tool for
traceability of the agricultural product, wherein the user defines
a grid designation unit of the agricultural product's source. The
user defined grid designation unit can be user defined by latitude
and longitude coordinates, by graphical user interface, by
satellite or other mapping technology or combinations thereof, or
any other technology that allows the user to select a user defined
grid designation unit.
[0033] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for pesticide distribution, and still more
preferably for variable pesticide distribution for at least one
agricultural product on a grower's field comprises: providing at
least one user defined grid designation unit for all or a portion
of the grower's field, determining for the grid designation unit
the pesticide requirements based upon historical data, real time
data, predictive modeling or combinations thereof; communicating
said pesticidal requirements to a pesticidal applicator, and
applying pesticide compounds to the grid designation in accordance
with said pesticidal requirements. The methods and/or equipment
that may be employed for determining the pesticide requirements can
include, but are not limited to visual identifications, physical
sampling and/or testing, aerial observations, satellite
observations, sensors present on or around or otherwise in
proximity to the field, and combinations thereof. The user defined
grid designation unit can be user defined by latitude and longitude
coordinates, by graphical user interface, by satellite or other
mapping technology or combinations thereof, or any other technology
that allows the user to select a user defined grid designation
unit.
[0034] According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention, a method for harvesting at least one agricultural
product, and still more preferably for variable harvesting of said
at least one agricultural product comprises: providing an open
communication network accessible information storage device adapted
to receive input of data relating generally to agricultural product
production and distribution, and more particularly to the
agricultural product's production, harvesting, distribution,
processing and consumption, from at least one and preferably from
multiple sources; inputting said data into said information storage
device; storing said data; providing access to at least a portion
of said data via the open communication network, wherein the
information storage device is configured to provide for at least
one user definable grid designation unit for the grower's field;
maintaining an Agricultural Pedigree for the agricultural product
being grown on the grower's field in the grid designation unit, and
selectively harvesting the field based upon distinctions in the
Agricultural Pedigree within the grid designation unit,
distinctions between a plurality of grid designation units and
combinations thereof. The user defined grid designation unit can be
user defined by latitude and longitude coordinates, by graphical
user interface, by satellite or other mapping technology or
combinations thereof, or any other technology that allows the user
to select a user defined grid designation unit.
[0035] These and other advantages of the present invention will be
clarified in the description of the preferred embodiments taken
together with the attached figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0036] FIG. 1 is schematic representation of selected "input"
sources of data relating to agricultural product production and/or
distribution for input into the information storage device of the
present invention.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of selected "output"
recipients/users of said data input in FIG. 1, prior to or
subsequent to manipulation of said data by said information storage
device.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a series of users of
the system of the present invention in a chain of agricultural
product production.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0039] The present invention will be described in some instances
connection with agricultural products in the form of cultivating
crops on a typical farm and seeing them through to final
consumption by an end user/consumer, and in particular, in some
instances, the production of corn on a typical farm and its
distribution to a final end user/consumer will be focused upon in
order to provide a working example of the present invention.
However, is reiterated and it is to be clearly understood that the
present invention is not so limited, and the present invention
applies to all forms of agricultural product production, whether
the agricultural product is animal (e.g. livestock, fish, poultry,
dairy etc), or plant, (e.g. corn, rice, soy, etc), and whether it
is produced for a food or a non-food use such as but not limited to
clothing, medicine or any other use. Thus, included within, but not
limiting to the scope of the present invention are the production
of agricultural crops which are food based (e.g., meats, fish,
fowl, poultry, and/or dairy production and/or any consumable
products produced either as a by-product (leather) or direct
product, for example eggs, of any "farm" operations, and non-food
based agricultural products (e.g. cotton for textiles or corn grown
for making ethanol).
[0040] Still further, included within the scope of the present
invention are farming or growing operations directed to producing
ornamental shrubs, flowers and other plants, including but not
limited to pine tree or other similar applications. In short, the
present invention applies wherever an agricultural product is
produced, and there is a need for some or all of the information
relating to its agricultural pedigree.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic
representation of one embodiment of the system of the present
invention. In the center is shown information storage device 2,
which takes a central role in the present invention, and may be
part of a computer. Information, primarily in the form of data,
coming from numerous sources, is collected and at the very least,
stored in device 2. The data may be inputted into device 2 manually
or automatically as discussed in more detail below.
[0042] Preferably, when the device 2 is fully or partially
populated with data, the data therein may be manipulated via the
computer of the device 2. "Manipulated" means that the data may be
organized for display to coordinate various pieces of the data, or
it can be more fundamentally manipulated, as for example, to be
used in predictive and/or probability modeling to anticipate future
events. As discussed below the device 2 may include a manipulation
of the obtained data to use in a predictive modeling program to
form a predictive modeling tool, which as noted above is a
model-driven DSS. Predictive modeling has been envisaged as
"organized thinking about the possible". For this purpose, dynamic
predictive models of the state-variable approach are important
tools which combine basic knowledge on the physical, chemical and
physiological processes that underlie crop growth and agricultural
production. One dynamic predictive model type is a "comprehensive
model" that is designed to integrate all aspects of growth and to
focus attention on the main gaps in present operational knowledge
of the crop or agricultural product production. Another example of
predictive models are known as "summarizing models" that are
especially geared to answer `what-if` questions and are used for
evaluating regional or area production potentials and constraints,
for irrigation management and integrated control of pests, diseases
and weeds. Examples of some of these types of models may be known
in the art. The present invention may include the design of new
models or may implement these models and, in either case, operates
to populate the various parameters with relevant data. Further, the
present invention is believed to allow for far more extensive and
accurate models to be developed, or refined, in light of the
increase in the available information, and its "symphonic"
orchestration that is available with the implementation of the
present invention. It should be clear that predictive modeling
generally also will include the "optimal use" of inputs. Many
inputs are known and given such as, often, fuel costs, energy,
fertilizer, labor, commodity prices, etc. However, many are
variable such as land, seeds and traits, varieties, chemicals, etc.
The predictive modeling often addresses the question of: What is
the right mix, of inputs, for a selected desired outcome? For
example, predictive models address issues such as if an operator
rents more land does he or she need more equipment, labor, etc.; or
what commodity should an operator grow to maximize profit (given
that a known collection or predictive range of all the inputs and
costs associated with growing that commodity); or what will this
proposed change do to an operator's carbon footprint and carbon
credits (e.g., part of the profit may be in selling carbon
credits). As may be appreciated, the increase in available
information with the present invention, and its aggregation and
"symphonic" orchestration allows for predictive modeling of a
heretofore unknown range and/or accuracy.
[0043] Returning to the overview of the invention, the data
inputted into the device 2 may include largely historic information
relating to what crop was harvested and in what amount, in what
region of the country/globe, and such data might include the costs
to produce the crop including labor/fuel/energy/any and all
existing leases/fertilizer/seed/chemical and other data related to
the crop's production.
[0044] In terms of manipulation, this data may be linked with a
real time decision making tool in the computer of the device 2,
which as noted above is a communication and data-driven DSS or
data-oriented DSS which emphasizes access to and manipulation of a
time series or history of data to the date of the decision. For
example weather data, general crop production data, current fuel
pricing data, commodity pricing data for resources and for that
crop, or any other relevant data to estimate how much that
particular portion of harvested crop might be expected to generate
yield and in gross sales for the grower, and with further
manipulation to deduct from that figure the costs to the grower to
produce, store any crop for future use and transport that crop from
the farm for further distribution, thereby providing the grower
with a reliable calculation as to how much profit this particularly
harvested crop generated for the grower. It could also estimate how
much crop should be stored for future sale and/or use. The real
time decision making tool can be used for calculating and notifying
the user regarding time sensitive matters, such as when irrigation,
fertilizing, pest control, harvesting or the like is required at
select crop portions.
[0045] It is an important aspect of the present invention that
manipulation of the data may be done with both the real time
decision making tool that is essentially calculating results based
upon inputs to date, and the predictive modeling tool providing
predictive results based upon simulation models. For example,
predictive information such as predicted weather patterns and/or
regional, national or global estimated crop production figures for
the following year and which varieties of crops demonstrated the
greatest yields in a given growing region, will allow the grower to
assess, for example, how much of his or her farm should be devoted
to which crops, and even which varieties, to maximize profits for
the following year. Such predictive modeling may also take into
consideration, aerial, satellite or other imaging, which imaging
often contains additional data such as properties of the soil,
quantity of crop being grown, and the levels in those crops of
chlorophyll, various minerals, moisture, acidity, and other
indicators of quality or quantity. When combined with the former
data, can be used to actually predict for the grower not only which
crops will maximize profits, but actually where on the farm they
should be planted in connection with such imaging technology. The
output can be coupled with graphic software and/or other means, for
example, to provide the grower with detecting specific diseases in
annual and/or perennial crops facilitating the creation of decision
planning maps for his or her farm. Still further, the results of
such predictive modeling simulations can be fed into the computers
and/or storage device of modern farm equipment, so that much if not
all of the information necessary to implement the mapped plan can
be already input into the said equipments computer and/or storage
device.
[0046] It is important to observe, that such predictive modeling
will preferably allow the grower to self-manipulate several
variables relating to the above information. In this way, a given
grower can ask himself or herself, "what if" questions such as the
following. What if I change crops next year to another crop--what
profit might I expect with the new crop? What if I leased another
500 acres at "x" dollars, how much profit will I have once I pay my
leaser? What additional or different equipment might I have to buy,
lease or rent to be as efficient as possible with such new crop.
What if my fertilizer cost increases by 5% next year? And device 2,
populated with the requisite data and predictive modeling tool,
will run the associated simulation and provide predictive answers
to such questions.
[0047] It is also important to note that the present invention
provides benefits beyond those relating to production,
profitability, and predictive modeling of "what if" scenarios. Both
for an existing growing season or for a growing season to come,
such predictive modeling can assist the grower in other ways.
Notably for example, currently a grower seeks financing which is
often provided based upon past performance by the grower, often
performance over the last 3 years where available. While that is
likely to remain an important method of analysis, the predictive
modeling of the present invention provides a very useful tool to
predict yields and profitability of existing crops and potential
future crops (excluding of course any unforeseen catastrophic
events), and armed with this predictive modeling, the grower may
well secure financing or credit from lenders (for any purposes,
including farm production or personal expenses and the like) such
as banks or even seed or chemical production companies or even farm
equipment manufacturing companies. The system becomes a risk
reducing tool for the lender as it is a verifiable assessment of
the proposed agricultural plan upon which recourses are to be lent.
While predictive modeling does not result in a certainty of future
performance, it does provide arguably a more reliable methodology
than had been used in the past in connection with lending/credit.
The mortgage banking crisis experienced of the last few years where
credit decisions were made apparently, with little or no supporting
data or analysis, highlights the need for a verifiable assessment
of a proposed agricultural plan. So the use of this predictive
modeling in connection with financing is not a completely abstract
idea.
[0048] In short then, as may be appreciated, the manipulation of
the data can be profound, even at the grower level.
[0049] As may be seen in FIG. 1, the current production of crops is
often no longer a one or two person matter of purchasing seeds,
planting them, growing them and harvesting the crop. What may have
once long ago been largely a solo act or a combo of a few players
in the realm of food production has grown to a full ensemble
comprised of many individual players with greatly differing roles
that are grouped into sections, which sections have joined to form
the orchestra of today's food production system. The system of the
present invention is designed to seamlessly integrate data from
these disparate sources resulting in a system and method of
providing agricultural pedigree for agricultural products
throughout production and distribution and provide for the use of
the same for sustainable agriculture and provide the use of the
same for communication, real time decision making, predictive
modeling and risk sharing.
[0050] For example, referring again to FIG. 1, there will be seen a
schematic representation of selected "sections" (to borrow that
musical terminology in connection with describing the present
invention) in today's food production "orchestra", (to again borrow
that musical terminology in connection with describing the present
invention). FIG. 1 describes the present invention in the context
of a seeds-based crop agricultural product for ease of description,
but as pointed out above the present invention is not so limited
and applies to all agricultural products as discussed fully above.
By way of example then, illustrated in FIG. 1 is seeds and traits
section 4, plantings/growing section 6, weather section 8,
satellite and aerial section 10, harvest section 12, on farm
storage section 14, transportation section 16, off farm storage
section 18, food processor section 20, government section 21,
retail sale, distribution and export section 22, consumption
section 24, carbon footprint section 26 and technology section 28.
The sections illustrated in FIG. 1 are somewhat arbitrarily
identified, and other sections may certainly be added or the
illustrated sections may be divided and/or subdivided and/or
defined in differing ways and all remain within the scope of the
intent of the present invention. The important point is that
today's food production is a complicated and complex operation,
involving numerous different participants and all must work
together for the system to operate, and each generates and consumes
different information from others involved in that process.
[0051] The data/information associated with the seeds and traits
section 4 may be quite substantial in and of itself. For example,
if the crop is corn, it is no longer sufficient to simply note the
variety being planted. Varieties may include genetic modification
(which may be comprised of singular or stacked genetic events) and
if so, this fact and what modifications are data to be collected.
Such genetic modification may include but is not limited
modifications that allow the corn to have resistance to certain
herbicides, to have certain insect resistance, to withstand certain
growing conditions such as heat or drought or any combinations
thereof. Still further, the seeds themselves may be treated with
any number of coatings, which may include active compounds such as
fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, biological/bacterial agents,
living beneficial agents and the like, or inactive compounds such
as talc or polymeric coatings that can perform a number of
functions, such as improving the plantability of the seeds. All of
this represents data to be inputted into device 2. The data from
the seeds and traits section 4 is typically held by different
individual entities. For example, it is often the case that the
breeders developing the traits provide their seeds to a different
entity for coating, and the data relating to materials that are
being coated onto the seeds, e.g. insecticides, fungicides,
biological/bacterial agents, living beneficial agents and the like,
may be held by the chemical company/ies that produced compounds.
Thus, separate individual entities, much like individual musicians
within a given section of an orchestra, hold different information
in the seeds and traits section 4, and the data from these
individual players can be input into device 2. As the present
invention has been illustrated in association with the farmer or
grower, the farmer's use of the device 2 will be to obtain this
information preferably from the seed breeders and distributers with
the purchase of the seeds. It is anticipated that the seed breeders
will have their own communication to device 2 and their associated
data may be transferred automatically via an internet or other
connection over the open communication network. The data can be
inputted manually or transferred via another storage device such as
a USB port memory stick or other information storage device. All of
the relevant data associated with the seeds sufficient to maintain
an accurate agricultural pedigree for the crops is transferred to
the device 2. In alternative embodiment of the present invention,
the farmer or grower might have his or her own device 2 for
capturing information relevant to that farmer or grower's portion
of the production of the agricultural product, and the seed breeder
may similarly have his or her own device 2 for capturing
information relevant to the seed breeder's portion of the
production of the agricultural product, and the two respective
devices 2's could be in communication with each other over the open
communication network. In this embodiment then, the device 2 may
then be a collection of several devices 2 aggregated from several
individual players or groups of players or sections, all in
communication with one another over the open communication network.
One advantage though of the single device 2 embodiment is that all
information is stored within the single device, and
changes/modification/additions etc are, arguably, somewhat
simplified by virtue of the single device 2 in one location. In yet
another embodiment of the present invention there is a combination
of one or more discreet device 2's and a major hub device 2,
representing a hybrid of the two previously described embodiments.
In practice the device 2, or selected features of the device, may
be offered to customers formed by the individual players under
Software as a Service (SaaS) model over the open network, sometimes
referred to as "on-demand software." The SaaS model is a software
delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted
centrally (often in the (Internet) cloud) and are typically
accessed by users (farmers, distributers, seed breeders, etc) using
a "thin client", normally using a web browser over the
Internet.
[0052] The SaaS model supports application customization by the
industry players. In other words an industry player can alter the
set of configuration options (a.k.a., parameters) that affect the
end functionality and look-and-feel. Each customer may have its own
settings (or: parameter values) for the configuration options. The
application can be customized to the degree it was designed for
based on a set of predefined configuration options. Further the
SaaS model allows for easier, generally more frequent system
updates.
[0053] Continuing further with FIG. 1, there is shown
plantings/growing section 6. Where for example the crop is corn,
when the corn was planted, where it was planted and how it was
treated during its growth with fungicides, insecticides,
herbicides, biological/bacterial agents, living beneficial agents
and the like all form data that is necessary to link to the
harvesting of that crop. It is here that today's modern farm
equipment can form an important mechanism for capturing such
information and automatically downloading the relevant data to the
device 2. Though, of course, such information can be entered into
the device 2 manually to the extent it is available that way.
However, with the modern farm equipment linked via computer to the
Internet and/or with satellites or other forms of communication,
including for example, onboard global positioning technology and
the like, such farm equipment are capable of automatically
collecting enormous amounts of data relating to the planting and
growing of the corn crop. This data includes for example, but
certainly is not limited to, data relating to the date/time of
planting, of which crop, where in the field, whether any active
ingredients or other materials were including during planting, the
density of planting, the depth of planting. Following on, as the
corn crop is grown, each time the tractor is involved, for example
with irrigation or spraying the field with various materials, such
data can be collected by the tractor and/or any associated farm
equipment and automatically input into device 2. Consider, where
the material being applied is for example, is an insecticide in
response to an observed insect pressure, the data relating to the
observed insect pressure, such as the type and number of insects,
is data that can be collected and input into the device 2.
Consider, for example that a modern tractor may be outfitted with a
mobile metering device on board and a mobile N-sensor (nitrogen
sensor) that measures the nutrient content of the plants in real
time and quickly calculates how much fertilizer is needed and the
sprayer on the back of the tractor sprays the correct dose of
nitrogen fertilizer onto each "segment" of the field. The system 2
collects this location specific information from this high tech
delivery system. In some cases, the material being applied may be
being applied itself in response to predictive modeling, for
example, where predictive modeling of insect migrations or drought
patterns formed the basis for applying an insecticide or water to
the corn crop, the data relating to such predictive modeling can be
inputted into device 2 as well as the data relating to the
application of the insecticide and/or water itself. Such predictive
modeling may be used in the context of the present invention to
manipulate other devices as well. For example, predictive modeling
can be used in the planning and guiding of automated pruning
machinery used in some crops to remove and thin portions of the
crop or the material upon which it grows. In short, such predictive
modeling can be used with any automated or robotic system. As will
be appreciated by those skilled in the agricultural arts, this is
also true of any historic pre-manipulation data stored in device
2.
[0054] Yet another example of a source of data is that of weather
section 8 shown in FIG. 1. Several entities in the modern era track
weather patterns. This includes governmental agencies such as the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This includes
for-profit entities such as The Weather Channel. And other entities
track the weather as well, of course. The tracking of this data and
its effect on the corn crop being harvested in this discussion of
the present invention has both historic and predictive value for
the particular corn crop of a given season, but such data also has
substantial predictive value when determining for the following
year which crops should be planted where on the farm to provide the
greatest profit yield. The value of this information generally
grows over time, because the larger data pool increases the odds
that any predictive modeling done with such data will be more
accurate.
[0055] The data of weather section 8, provides an important segue
into an important aspect of the present invention. Data, such as
that generated by weather section 8, can find its way into device 2
from either direct or indirect paths. In other words, such data may
be input directly into device 2 by weather section 8.
Alternatively, such data may be inputted indirectly to planting
section 6, as for example where the weather data is first sent to
the computer of the farm equipment performing the planting
operation, and such weather data is later inputted into computer
housing device 2 by planting section 6 as part of its uploading of
information into device 2.
[0056] Satellite and aerial section 10 represents another such
direct/indirect pathway. Satellite and or aerial data itself is
very substantial in its depth and reach in the modern era. Such
data can include weather data, climate data and the like. It can
also include global positioning data and the like. It can include
infrared or other measurements, and can even include soil moisture
and other information. Additionally, it can include simple
pictorial data as well. There are providers who have developed the
use of such data to assess the current yield of crops such as the
corn crop of the current discussion, and even to assess the health
and hardiness in addition to yield or other factors. Some forms of
this data can be input into the device 2 directly. Other forms,
such as global positioning, may be first sent to other entities
such as the planting section 6 and/or harvesting section 12 and/or
transportation section 16, for example, to be included with their
respective uploaded information through their respective pathways
into device 2.
[0057] Harvest section 12 provides data relating to when and where
the crop was harvested, and importantly, the actual yields being
realized from the harvest. Today's modern harvesting equipment,
having onboard computer systems and sensors, provide real time data
during the harvesting operation itself as to the yield being
enjoyed from the harvest. When combined with global positioning
technology, for example, and/or with planting density information,
it is possible to determine with great accuracy which portions of
the farm have produced the greatest amount of corn crop forming the
basis of this discussion. In other words, existing high technology
harvesters combine with GPS to generate a "yield map" for a given
field which plots harvest by location. This data in turn can be
manipulated with predictive modeling to predict the most efficient
usage of the farm for the following planting season.
[0058] On-farm storage section 14 may include additional data, such
as when and where the crop was stored, how, under what storage
conditions and/or weather the crop was treated before, during or
after storage with any protective or other materials.
[0059] Up to this point, the focus of the discussion has generally
been directed to the planting and harvesting operations associated
with producing a crop, even touching upon on-farm storage of a crop
such as corn. As may be appreciated, the data will often vary with
the type of crop being produced. For example, where the crop is in
the vegetable family and is picked by hand, the identities of those
involved in the picking process may be useful to know for tracking
or other purposes, and there may be several more farm personnel
involved in such an operation than the fewer combine operators
usually needed to harvest a corn crop. The common theme here
regardless of crop, is that in addition to the harvesting of
whatever crop is involved, there is also a wealth of data to be
harvested from that field as well.
[0060] The harvested crop must be moved from the farm of course. In
some cases, this involves simple transportation to an end consumer,
such as at a farmer's market and the like. In other circumstances
it is moved to larger storage facilities such as grain operators
and the like and/or on to food processors and the like. Thus,
referring again to FIG. 1 there is shown transportation section 16
where data is inputted into the system. Regarding the data input
from "down-stream" of the distribution chain, the downstream
distribution chain information is critically important to the
farmer (or breeder or others upstream in the chain). The farmer has
a vested interest in timely getting his crops to the ultimate
customers in prime condition (not wilted, bruised, contaminated or
the like) and the information from the transportation section 16 is
helpful in tracking this. This information can be used in the real
time decision making tool and predictive modeling tools, as
well.
[0061] Additionally, it should be noted that the transportation
section participants can, in one embodiment, have their own system
according to the present invention and the farmer's device 2 will
automatically transmit the relevant information to the shipper's
device 2. The shippers device 2 will likely need only selected
pieces of information from the farmer's device 2 that are relevant
for the shipper's purposes. For example, a listing of the
particular fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides may be very
important for the shipper as part of the agricultural pedigree for
the crop, but the shipper has little need for the cost/pound of the
fertilizer or the labor costs for harvesting. FIG. 3 illustrates a
representative simplified example of a chain of connected systems
of the present invention each having device 2 set up by the
respective user to obtain the desired inputs and outputs. The
simplified example is of a seed breeder, farmer and food processor.
It is noted that one of the inputs for the farmer is the
information from the device 2 of the breeder and the food
processor, and similarly one of the inputs for the system of the
breeder is from the device 2 of the farmer. This embodiment of the
present invention will not require everyone in the chain to
maintain a complete system of the invention. FIG. 3 is to
illustrate that t the individual devices 2s could and would
integrate well together. Such systems will be optimized separately
for the respective user depending upon the parameters needed for
their operations. From the user's perspective there is little
difference from having a single device 2 with multiple users having
their own user defined dashboard or interface and the users each
having their own device 2 onsite. A dashboard is a computer user
interface in the form of a floating window (visual graphical
interface) that provides contextual access to commonly used tools
in a software program. However, from an overall standpoint, having
a central single device 2 with user definable dashboards allows for
easier collection and sharing of data as well as other advantages
of a single central device 2.
[0062] Following transportation section 16 there are several
additional sections, and in reality, transportation may be involved
for each of those as well. And such transportation can take the
form of ground transportation, but it can also take the form of any
other form of transportation known in association with crops,
including transportation over the ground, over water, in the air
and any combinations thereof. In particular, shipment by truck,
rail and/or shipment/transportation in ocean going vessels for
export around the globe is to be noted in this regard. For the sake
of simplicity, additional transportation section boxes are not
shown in FIG. 1, but it is to be understood that transportation
section 16 may be involved and typically are involved, in each step
going forward. Data here includes when the crop was picked up,
where it was transported, was it delayed in shipment, if delayed
under what weather/storage conditions and whether such conditions
might be expected to have an effect on the crop, were any other
crops combined with this shipment, if so, what crops and when, and
what was their pedigree (pedigree here referring to all aspects of
how such crop came to be in existence and transported to this
point), whether such crops were treated in any way before, during
or after shipment. This certainly is not all of the categories of
data associated with transportation section 16, but it does provide
a representative overview of how widespread and substantial this
data is as well.
[0063] The same holds true for off-farm storage section 18 and, if
involved, food processor section 20. Government section 21
represents that government at the local, state or federal levels
within the United States, and governmental entities around the
world in their respective nations, are an integral section in
today's food production orchestra. Whether approving agricultural
products for initial sale (e.g. the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA's) role with genetically modified agricultural
products) or export or importation (e.g. the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA's) role in evaluating and
approving registrations of agriculturally active ingredients) or
inspecting them for quality, size or other parameters, or
investigating them for public safety (e.g. any of the law
enforcement agencies) as in the case of diseases or intentional or
inadvertent attacks upon or disruptions to the food safety and/or
quality, or evaluating agriculturally active ingredients used in
the production the government (using the term government in its
broadest sense) 21 has a large role to play. The information
government section 21 inputs or can use as an output is substantial
indeed. This is true as well of the retail sale, distribution and
export section 22 and consumption section 24 in terms of data
generated or consumed at each step in their respective process.
[0064] It may be noted that retail sale, distribution and export
section 22 places increasing demands on the system to have such
information available for a given crop, with much of that desired
on a real time basis. Reasons include, but are not limited to,
traceability, namely tracking down and finding any sources of
contamination in the process and liability shifting in accordance
therewith, homeland security issues to track and find points of
interception in the food supply, and to address inquiries from
consumption section 24 and/or organizations such as those
preferring organic foods or those concerned with the amount of
energy or sustainability associated with producing the crop, e.g.
carbon footprint groups. Increasingly important in the global
agricultural economy are the MRL limits set by many importing
countries. Those countries wishing to export to an importing
country must often certify at the border or port that the crop
being imported complies with MRLs set by the importing country, or
the crop will be refused entry. It is thus easy to see why all of
the data associated with the production of the crop, (its
"agricultural pedigree"), either as a stand alone entity or if
blended with other harvests (as is often the case with corn which
is often blended with the harvest of several farms) the pedigree of
all corn in the shipment, is vital to have collected and in a form
that is presentable and useful and verifiable to the importing
country so the shipment will be allowed entry. Thus, such retail
sale, distribution and export section 22 and consumption section 24
are often keenly interested in some or all of the data generated in
connection with the harvested crop.
[0065] Another section included in FIG. 1 is the carbon footprint
section 26 which is primarily interested analyzing the amount of
energy and/or carbon based fuels that were needed to produce the
crop. It is interesting because of the many layers this section 26
can represent. Some in such carbon footprint section 26 may be
interested only for example, in the energy consumed in transporting
the crop, while others may be interested in tracking all of the
data associated with the energy costs associated with producing,
harvesting and storing the crop from its first day of planting
forward. Thus the interests of members in carbon footprint section
26 can and do cut across and/or involve many of the other sections
illustrated in FIG. 1. As pointed out above, there is room for
flexibility in the number and titles of the sections of FIG. 1, and
it should be pointed out that the carbon footprint section 26,
because it is often associated with goals of achieving sustainable
agriculture, might equally have been entitled the sustainability
section 26, or that a separate sustainability section 27 might just
as easily have been added to FIG. 1. This point highlights that
while carbon footprint is becoming an accepted model to look at
sustainability, it is only one parameter, and that sustainability
as a whole, can include that and several other parameters, all of
which contribute to the agricultural product's pedigree.
[0066] The technology section 28 is a representation of new
data/information sources relevant to the modern era food production
system that may utilize currently available technologies and/or
advances, refinements, developments, improvements therein. In this
section one would find technology companies and computer
programmers and the like, though this section is certainly not
limited to just those entities. The contributions of technology
section 28 will, among others, make existing data sources/obsolete,
lower costs of capturing data and/or provide new sections which can
contribute to the Information Storage Device 2. Contributions of
technology section 28 are expected to make Device 2 more accurate,
informative, reliable, have a lower output cost, among others, and
often will improve Device 2 to make it more robust while reducing
the cost of, among others, of capturing, storing, manipulating and
providing the needed information. Technology section 28 often
functions as an "on ramp" or gate that new sections must pass
through that allow such new sections to participate in the modern
era food production system.
[0067] Some of the chief sections of the modern era food production
orchestra have been set out in the above discussion for purposes of
understanding the invention. But it is central to the present
invention to appreciate that the present invention is not so
limited. It is simply impossible to list here each and every
person/entity/function associated with the
production/harvest/distribution/transportation/storage/export/im-
port/processing/consump tion and all other aspects of the
agricultural product's production and utilization. However, what is
common across them all, is that at virtually each stage, data is
generated. Like a symphony in warm up session, the device 2 taps
the lectern to call them all to attention for a symphonic
"interweaving of themes or harmonious arrangement" to coordinate
the input, storage, manipulation and output of that data in a form
that is useful to those having need of such information/data.
[0068] The input of data into device 2 can be manual. It is
desirable if most or all of the data is inputted automatically. For
example, where the farm implement of the plantings section 6 and/or
the harvest section 12 collects data, the computer of the farm
implement, in communication with satellites, cell phone towers or
the like, can automatically upload its data to the device 2. This
automatic inputting and updating is preferably true for each
section in FIG. 1. Regarding inputting of data into the device 2,
if it is manual as opposed to automatic, it is preferred if the
system follows a computerized interview process, much like that of
modern tax preparation software with the user where the user is
prompted and counseled for what information is being requested, and
then the system asks the desired questions to either set up the
automatic downloads of information, or prompts the user for manual
inputs of the relevant parameters in a format that is somewhat
standardized so as to be usefully entered into the device 2, much
in the same way that tax information in inputted in a manner useful
to the Internal Revenue Service or other taxing bodies.
[0069] While data input can proceed by any number of communication
channels and the present invention is not so limited, satellite
communications, cell tower communications, wireless computer
communications and the Internet, alone and in combination with one
another, form some of the most powerful tools in the modern era to
collect such information and provide it to device 2. Also, it may
be mentioned here that any similar systems of data recordation and
capture, such as bar coding and its scanners, may be employed to
capture data for transmission to device 2 and any later developed
technology performing this same function of communication of the
data to device 2 is envisioned as within the scope of the present
invention.
[0070] As noted above, device 2 is represented in FIG. 2
schematically as a single unit, and it may in fact, in one
embodiment of the present invention, be a single computer or
server. However, it is only essential that device 2 be able to
collect, store and/or manipulate the data, so while it can arguably
be a single computer, it is equally possible to be a network of
linked computers and/or servers that can provide such function to
collect, store and/or manipulate the data, and all are envisioned
as within the scope of the present invention. The precise hardware
selection is not limiting to the present invention.
[0071] The software necessary to operate device 2 may be one
program, created, owned, operated and/or maintained by a single
entity in a fashion similar to the model set by the Windows.RTM.
operating system available from Microsoft Corporation.
Alternatively, the operating software/programming may be communal
shared software, not owned by a single person or entity in the
nature of the Linux software model. Alternatively the software
necessary to operate the device 2 may be a combination thereof. The
access to and revenue derived from the output of device 2 may take
several forms as within the scope of the present invention. In
alternative embodiments of the present invention, the output of
device 2 may be accessible to the public, accessible to only
subscribers, accessible only to certain owners of the device 2 or
combinations thereof. The data may be offered for free, for a
charge or combinations thereof to some or all of the entities set
forth in FIGS. 1 and 2. The output of the device 2 could
conceivably be accessible in only one location or in several
limited and secure or non secure locations. In one embodiment of
the present invention, it is envisioned that access is rather
broadly available as this tends to increase the usefulness of the
device 2. Access may be had via any communications system, but the
Internet presently represents the most efficient at the present
time. Access is not limited to computers accessing the Internet.
Newer technologies such as smart phones/cell phones with access to
the Internet, I-phones from Apple Corporation, I-Pads and the like
are envisioned as within the scope of the present invention for
communication with and access to the output of device 2.
[0072] It is important to appreciate that device 2 is performing in
the scope of the present invention, much the same function that the
conductor provides for the symphony. Currently there are separated
pockets of the data/information associated with crop production,
all of which are useful in their own right. Like the strings versus
the woodwinds versus the brass versus the percussion sections of a
symphony, these individual pockets of information/data are useful.
But to obtain the full measure of its value, it is necessary that
these pockets of information be assembled into a device 2 which can
collect, store and, preferably manipulate this information/data to
provide a coordinated source of historic data recall and predictive
modeling outputs that can be accessed and used by those associated
with the production/harvest/transportation/sale/export etc of the
crop. It is a lack of the conductor's coordination and the
corresponding need it produces in the food industry, of which
agricultural crop production is a subset that is addressed by the
present invention.
[0073] Referring now to FIG. 2, while input into device 2 is
critical, so too is output. FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of
selected "output" from device 2 to recipients/users of the
information/data that was input into device 2 as discussed in
connection with FIG. 1. Such output can be prior to or subsequent
to manipulation of said data/information by said device 2. Some of
the recipients/users of the output from device 2 are the same as
those who input information/data into device 2, but there are many
recipients/users who make use of the information/data pre- or
post-manipulation, that had no part in inputting information/data
into the device 2.
[0074] More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, grower/farmers
30 are one of the most logical recipients/users of the output of
the device 2. Their uses are wide and varied, but even
pre-manipulation, simple storage of the information and retrieval
forms an important output of device 2. If the farmer wants to
recall a certain growing methodology used, or active ingredients,
or timing, or other basic information, it is all available in
device 2. For such grower/farmers 30, indeed for any of the
entities discussed in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, another
benefit of such stored and retrievable information is that as such
information accumulates with time, it becomes possible to discern
trends, particularly the subtle trends that cannot be otherwise
easily observed, relating to food production and the entirety of
the food supply and consumption chain. While that is certainly one
important benefit of the present invention, another important
benefit is manipulated output. For example, the grower may want to
coordinate and compare events such as rainfall and its timing,
disease spread and vectors, and the like in relation to application
of active ingredients such as insecticides, fungicides, herbicides,
fertilizers and the like for a time period such as the last growing
season or last several growing seasons to obtain a manipulated
result that can be provided in graphical or other form. The ability
of device 2 to manipulate, data-mine, create relational databases
and the like, allows device 2 to be much more than a simple
repository of information/data. Manipulated output is not limited
to growing parameters, but can include many other types of
manipulation. For example, the manipulation can be directed to
tracking the profit from a given crop/field and/or portions
thereof.
[0075] Another important manipulated output to the grower/farmers
30 is predictive modeling that may or may not be tied with other
external databases and information available over the Internet and
other sources, to allow the grower/farmers 30 to engage in the
"what if" scenarios described above. For example, the device 2 in
one embodiment is designed to allow the grower/farmers 30 to select
all or a portion of the farm, and in the selected portion to rotate
or change the crop to be planted there in the coming year. The
device 2 via the Internet or other means, determines current
pricing and availability of the future crop both in terms of its
cost of acquisition and its market selling prices, calculates the
customary cost of active ingredients and manpower and other factors
necessary to plant, grow and harvest such a new crop, optionally
accompanied by projected yields based on weather data, history of
performance of that selected portion of the farm and other factors,
to arrive at a predictive model of what the grower/farmer 30 might
be expected to obtain in terms of net income from producing the
newly selected crop in the coming year on his or her own farm. In a
similar fashion, the grower/farmer 30 can select other crops to
determine the best fit in terms of profit, time, labor and whatever
other factors are important to the grower/farmer 30 as he or she
makes the decision as to what crop to plant in that section of the
farm in the next year.
[0076] Profit is not necessarily the only benefit to the
grower/farmers 30, and even where present, can be combined with
other factors. For example, where a grower/farmer 30 on his or her
own initiative desires to produce a crop with a lower carbon
footprint, predictive modeling of device 2 can be used facilitate
that analysis. If in the marketplace, food produced with the lower
carbon footprint enjoys a higher sales price, this too can be
factored into the device 2, to allow such grower/farmer 30 to
determine if he or she might be able to create such lower carbon
footprint crop, and yet still enjoy sufficient revenue as to engage
in sustainable farming operations both from an environmentally
friendly and/or an economic framework.
[0077] The present system operates well for evaluating a life-cycle
assessment or LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis, eco-balance,
and cradle-to-grave analysis, which is a technique to assess
environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's
life from-cradle-to-grave (i.e., from raw material extraction
through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use,
repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling). LCA's can help
avoid a narrow outlook on environmental concerns by: Compiling an
inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental
releases; Evaluating the potential impacts associated with
identified inputs and releases; Showing the results to help
operators make a more informed decision. The goal of LCA is to
compare the full range of environmental effects assignable to
products and services in order to improve processes, support policy
and provide a sound basis for informed decisions. The term
life-cycle refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment
requires the assessment of raw-material production, manufacture,
distribution, use and disposal including all intervening
transportation steps necessary or caused by the product's
existence. There are two main types of LCA. "Attributional" LCAs
seek to establish the burdens associated with the production and
use of a product, or with a specific service or process, at a point
in time (typically the recent past). "Consequential" LCAs seek to
identify the environmental consequences of a decision or a proposed
change in a system under study (oriented to the future), which
means that market and economic implications of a decision may have
to be taken into account. Social LCA is under development as a
different approach to life cycle thinking intended to assess social
implications or potential impacts. Social LCA should be considered
as an approach that is complementary to environmental LCA. The
procedures of life cycle assessment (LCA) are part of the ISO 14000
environmental management standards which can be calculated with the
system of the present invention for the desired agricultural
product.
[0078] The predictive modeling may be pre-programmed into device 2,
and/or it may be programmable to any desired extent. If
programmable, it may be programmed in one embodiment, by those
inputting information into device 2 and/or by those accepting,
accessing or otherwise utilizing the output of device 2. Where it
is programmable, in one embodiment any of the entities described in
FIGS. 1 and/or 2 may conduct such programming. In an alternative
embodiment, only a few, or even only one entity may be enabled or
otherwise permitted to conduct such programming. Programmable
predictive modeling enhances the usefulness of the present
invention, as users of the device 2 can create custom
inputs/outputs/reports and the like. For example, a salesman in one
geographic area might want to make use of certain predictive
modeling germane to his area of sales, while another might want to
make use of such modeling for a different geographic area.
Programmable predictive modeling provides such flexibility. The
predictive modeling can include quite downstream or upstream users
in the food supply chain. For example, even those involved with the
production of genetically modified seeds can use such predictive
modeling to analyze the cost of insertion of a genetic event in a
plant or animal associated with the food and/or food by-product
production, and use predictive modeling of device 2 to estimate
production costs, profits and the like from such activity.
[0079] As may be appreciated, this is by way of example, and it is
clear that the output of device 2, with or without manipulation of
the data therein, can be used by the grower/farmer 30 and the
remaining entities described in FIGS. 1 and 2 in a wide variety of
ways. It is to be noted that not all grower/farmers own the land
which is being farmed. In such instances where the land is owned by
another, owner 32 as illustrated in FIG. 2 may want to use the
output of device 2 in the same or similar manner as grower/farmer
30. A recipient/user of the information/data from device 2 that
might be at first overlooked is the owner/administrator 34 of the
device 2, illustrated in FIG. 2. The owner/controller 34 of the
device 2 may, for example, coordinate the inputs and outputs to
device 2 and in so doing provide a valuable service for which such
owner/administrator 34 may derive an income from some or all of the
recipient/users depicted in FIG. 2. Such income may be generated,
as for example, with licensing fees, access fees, user fees, report
fees or other means commonly known in today's information age for
obtaining an income stream from information/data. In other
instances, the owner/administrator 34 may desire to make the
outputs of device 2 freely available to the public at large or to
governmental agencies or others depicted in FIG. 2, as for example,
output information/data that might assist the Office of Homeland
Security or similar governmental entities involved in protecting
the valuable food chain from the farm to its ultimate consumption
by the end user of the crop.
[0080] Illustrated in FIG. 2 are food processors 36 who use the
output of device 2 for several purposes of their own. Such output
may include, again, (as for all entities depicted in FIG. 2),
information/data in pre- or post-manipulation stages.
Pre-manipulation data/information includes the history of the crop,
where it was grown, under what conditions etc., essentially the
entire pedigree of the crop, including factors not currently
commonly available, such as its carbon footprint. By food
processors it is meant here any type of food processor, including
processors that simply transform the crop without cooking,
seasoning or other preparation techniques, or those that prepare
final food stuffs from the crop. For example, in the former
category food stores may wish to clean or otherwise prepare the
crop for sale. In the latter category for example, a wine producer
may transform the grapes in to quality wines. In some instances it
may be the same party performing both functions as for example
where a vineyard raises its own grapes and processes them into its
own wines. Manipulated data/information useful to food processors
36 can include forecasting manipulations to estimate how much of a
given crop may be expected in a given region and how much it is
expected to cost to purchase and or how much it may be valued for
sale.
[0081] Distributors 38 are illustrated in FIG. 2 and in their
function of moving processed foods from food processors 36 to
retail sellers 40, they too may want historic non-manipulated
information/data to determine the pedigree of the food they are
distributing. Manipulated information/data is of value to them as
well, as for example, predictive modeling of trends for a future
time period, or collective relational data/information collated
over past periods of time to again determine trends/patterns.
[0082] Consumers 42 have a wide variety of uses of pre-manipulation
data, as for example where a given crop seems to them to
particularly flavorful or otherwise beneficial, they may directly
or indirectly access device 2 to determine the history and pedigree
of the crop or processed food so that they can purchase the same in
the future. Post-manipulation data is also valuable to the consumer
42, as for example, where the consumer 42 seeks predictive
modeling, as for example, for supply or pricing.
[0083] Financial institutions 44 represents, in a fashion, an
entire category of recipient/users, wherein when a financial
institution 44 is seeking to make a decision regarding extending
credit to other entities in FIG. 2, having access to simple
pre-manipulation historic information/data, such as volume of crops
produced over time in the past can be of significant value in
making decision to lend or not lend and at what percentage loan
rate. Manipulated information/data, such as predictive modeling
that can be supplied by device 2 by taking into account factors
such as the current cost of seeds and chemicals, current costs of
production, harvest, transportation and sale, and the currently
sales price enjoyed by that commodity, coupled with predictive
modeling of where those factors may be expected to go in the future
to support the loan, can make such manipulated data/information of
great value to a financial institution 44 as an independent
verifiable evaluation of the fundamentals of the transaction.
[0084] Similarly, farm equipment manufacturers 46 may use pre-
and/or post-manipulation data to predict rises and falls in the
need for farming equipment in various farming regions based on
pre-manipulation information/data, post-manipulation
information/data and/or combinations thereof. This allows farm
equipment manufacturers 46 to manufacture to predicted needs or
move leased/rental equipment to needed locations in advance of the
development of the need. Similarly farm equipment dealers can stock
up on commonly needed parts and supplies in advance of such
need.
[0085] Collectively, public interest groups such as
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 48, and governmental
organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 50,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 52 and/or other governmental
agencies 54 form categories of recipients/users of the output of
device 2. For NGOs such information/data may include historic
pedigree information on the production/distribution/consumption of
the crop. For governmental agencies, these interests would largely
overlap, but yet may include additional needs such as those
stemming from safety of the food supply. In that latter regard,
historic existing data/information relating to the produced crop
and its location in the process from planting to consumption can
aid in distribution of supplies in an emergency or crisis. In a
preferred embodiment, this information is provided in real time to
allow determination of the precise status of the food supply at a
given moment. Post-manipulation information/data is useful to
predict trends, such as those of supply and availability in
preparation of future problems/emergencies. Historic pedigree
information can help law enforcement agencies track and bring to
justice those who would tamper with the food creation/distribution
process. Food chain safety is already of paramount importance to
several governmental agencies, and is only likely to increase in
the future.
[0086] Another output of device 2 would be output of
pre-manipulation or post-manipulation data to service organizations
or service individuals who address complaints of products used in
the food supply chain. Device 2, among other benefits, provides
much data/information, such as but not limited to satellite imagery
that can be used to resolve complaints or prove a position in
litigation. The output of device 2 could also be used with sales
forces to identify fields where products used in the food supply
chain may not work effectively, thereby reducing complaints. If for
example, the complaints were associated with failure of an
agriculturally active ingredient/formulation chemical (e.g.
herbicide, fungicide, insecticide, fertilizer etc) to perform as
expected, rather than simply apply additional applications of the
agricultural chemical, the root cause might be more properly
identified and addressed, thus reducing it to the one application
versus two or more and its attendant environmental benefits. For
the grower/farmers 30, and indeed for all those set forth in FIGS.
1 and 2, there would also be greater proof that each followed
applicable stringent State and/or Federal guidelines with respect
to chemical applications.
[0087] Yet another advantage of the present invention lies in its
ability to assist with protecting the safety and sanctity of the
food chain itself. There is the discussion above of how the
data/information resident within device 2 can assist law
enforcement and governmental agencies, and that is certainly true.
There is growing acceptance among the many participants in the food
production/food supply chain, that managing data/information
relating to the food chain, from the creation of starting
materials, such as seeds in the case of a seed-based agricultural
product, through harvest, processing, distribution and final
consumption, in short, the entire food supply chain, has value.
Often termed food safety, or food distribution tracking, or food
traceability, there are efforts by the food production industry,
NGOs and government to track food throughout the entire production
and distribution process to ensure its integrity. For example, S.
510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, is the Senate's
effort to provide food-safety legislation that is intended to
reduce the risk of contamination and thereby better protect public
health and safety, raise the bar for the food industry, and deter
bad actors. S. 510 was stated by some to have the goal of providing
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the resources and
authorities the agency needs to help make prevention the focus of
food safety strategies. Among other things, this legislation
required food companies to develop a food safety plan; it improves
the safety of imported food and food ingredients; and it adopts a
risk-based approach to inspection to improve the safety of the food
supply and enhance consumer confidence. Assistance with this
initiative is one important function that can be accomplished by
device 2 of the present invention, sitting as it does, in a sense,
somewhat like a spider at the very center of the food supply and
distribution web.
[0088] As may be appreciated, each of the recipients/users of
information/data illustrated in FIG. 2 from output device 2 may
have a role in the input of their respective sets of data as well.
And each may use only pre-manipulation data, only post-manipulation
data or combinations thereof. Neither FIG. 1, nor FIG. 2 is meant
to be exhaustive representations of each of the groups involved in
the input and/or output of data/information into or out of device
2. They are representative only, and many other groups, subgroups
or others in the entirety of the food supply chain are included as
within the scope and spirit of the present invention even if not
specifically named or set forth in FIGS. 1 and/or 2.
[0089] Technology is expanding at an unprecedented pace, and
linking of technologies is also occurring at unprecedented rates.
It is within the scope of the present invention to employ these
unfolding technologies as they develop. For example, where the crop
is an apple or orange, bar coding or other similar technology which
is unique may be employed to a bar code strip on individual pieces
of fruit that falls within the scope of the above described
invention. Such bar coding can be placed on the fruit at any point
during its growth, harvest and transportation to processors or end
consumers. In one embodiment of the present invention, where the
fruit is to be sold to an end consumer, as for example in a grocery
or other store, it is valuable within the scope of the present
invention to have bar code or other reading mechanism associated
with the fruit that carries all of the information that an end
consumer may want in terms of the fruits pedigree that led it to be
there on the grocery shelf. This includes any/all of the
information described herein. As far as readers/blending of
technologies, in this example the information may be present as,
for example a QR Codes reader. Such readers are currently used in a
broad commercial context, including both commercial tracking
applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile
phone users (known as mobile tagging). Users with a camera phone or
I-Phone or similar apparatus, equipped with the correct reader
application can scan the image of the QR Code to display text,
contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web
page in the phone's browser. This act of linking from physical
world objects is known as a "hard link" or physical world
hyperlinks. Such technology may be employed to place the QR Code on
the fruit, which the shopper scans with his or her phone, to be
linked to a web site providing all such data to the shopper as the
shopper may desire to make the purchase. Alternatively, instead of
a shopper, the fruit may be at the facilities of an exporter, who
performs that same function with that same phone or any other
device to determine if the fruit meets the MRL or other requirement
of where the exporter would like to ship the fruit. In short, it is
within the scope of the present invention to employ any or all of
these known and emerging technologies and linking of such
technologies to provide the objectives of the present
invention.
[0090] In yet another embodiment of the present invention there can
be linking of entire areas of the present invention. For example,
where such QR codes are employed, and the crop is lettuce or
tomatoes, if it has been determined that the lettuce or tomatoes
have been accidentally or intentionally harmed, as for example with
E coli, the consumer at the above described grocery store can scan
such produce with his or her camera on his or her I-phone and use a
code such as but not limited to a QR code to be linked to a website
where warnings associated with that particular pedigreed crop can
be traced and the appropriate warnings can be generated and given
to the consumer.
[0091] The above description highlights a number of aspects of the
present invention. Selected portions of these aspects are discussed
again below to further elucidate these particulars of the present
invention.
[0092] The invention provides a method and associated system for
establishing an agricultural pedigree for at least one agricultural
product, wherein the agricultural pedigree is a collection of the
information associated with the origin and history of an
agricultural product, from its earliest of stages of creation of
its starting materials (e.g. for seed-based agricultural products
it would be the creation of the seeds, for example) through its
production, harvest, distribution and final consumption, and may be
considered a record of some or all of the inputs, treatments and
processes performed on or to a given agricultural product in its
production and distribution, some or all of which may be selected
and/or defined by one or more entities making use in one or more
ways of such Agricultural Pedigree The agricultural pedigree inputs
can be set by a user in response to customer or user or other
desires, or dictated by vendors for establishing or maintaining
business relations, or dictated by governmental agencies for
regulatory compliance. The method includes providing an open
communication network accessible information storage device 2, such
as a computer coupled to the internet, adapted to receive input of
data relating to agricultural product production and distribution
from multiple sources, as represented in FIG. 1. The method
includes inputting said data into said information storage device 2
manually or automatically, as discussed above. The method includes
storing and, optionally, manipulating, said data in the device 2
and providing access to said data, pre-post- or both of its
manipulation, via the open communication network, such as the
internet to one or more entities as represented in FIG. 2. The
method and associated system of the invention provides that the
information storage device 2 is configured to be used as at least
one of: a tool for traceability of at least one agricultural
product, a tool for establishing and/or confirming the agricultural
pedigree of the agricultural product, a real time decision making
tool, and a predictive modeling tool.
[0093] Traceability of the products is the ability to track
agricultural products throughout the production and distribution
chain. The maintaining of the agricultural pedigree allows the
system to easily accommodate any traceability requirements as each
participant in the chain is maintained in the pedigree.
[0094] The system can be used as a communications tool or a device
improving communications as the system can be easily used to
co-ordinate harvesting with shipping. For example a farmer can use
the system to identify a need for his agricultural product at a
certain location and a certain time, and the he or the system can
manually or automatically calculate when select portions of the
agricultural product that the farmer is growing, are best timed for
harvesting and being made available to shippers/distributors 38 to
ensure they are delivered to the shippers/distributors at the most
useful moment and at a time which will ensure shipment and arrival
to the entity desiring the agricultural product when the
agricultural product is at its peak in terms of freshness or other
relevant parameter. This is particularly useful for international
shippers/distributors who must carefully consider the long transit
times and distances involved avoiding loss of their shipment due to
spoilage or other factors. While a farmer can use the system of the
present invention to his advantage as just described, so too,
alternatively shippers, who often combine shipments and must often
delay transportation until they have received the agricultural
products from the grower, can co-ordinate with farmers that they,
the shipper/distributor, have excess or minimal shipping capacity.
For example, the shipper may have received 5% more harvest than
originally budgeted from one farmer and he can timely convey this
to a second farmer who adjusts his harvest to maintain the crops
that could not be shipped in the field for a supplemental harvest
(in a week, for example), thus saving on storage and improving
product "freshness." These are merely representative examples of
the communication possibilities with the present system to improve
agricultural product flow. The opportunities here are virtually
limitless.
[0095] The maintaining of the agricultural pedigree allows for the
system to evaluate a sustainability measurement for the
agricultural products, which may be in one embodiment of the
present invention according to predefined or preselected
sustainability parameters, which were predefined or preselected by
any number of individual or combined entities. For example, several
leading food companies have made sustainability, or sustainable
agriculture, a top priority, and often view their farm level
agricultural supply chains as the biggest opportunity for
improvement. It is important to have quantifiable measurements for
this priority; however this is not easy. Measurements/ratings of
sustainability can be changing according to agreed upon norms, or
technology or development of scientific knowledge, and is currently
in a great and rapid state of evolution. Even as evolving
sustainability measurements attempt to pinpoint the proper
measurement of agricultural stewardship, the maintaining of a
comprehensive agricultural pedigree allows for constant evaluations
of such sustainability measurement for the agricultural products
according to such designated sustainability parameters. In addition
to evaluating how a given agricultural product has satisfied the
goals of agricultural stewardship with appropriate levels of
sustainability, farmers often wish to properly plan future
agricultural products with sustainability in mind. The present
invention contemplates that the evaluating of a sustainability
measurement for the agricultural products is, at least, part of the
predictive modeling tool.
[0096] The maintaining of a comprehensive agricultural pedigree
that is capable of transferring with the agricultural product also
allows the system to evaluate compliance of the agricultural
products with preexisting standards in accordance with predefined
standard requirements. For example if a shipper receives an order
from Chile for a given crop, the shipper can use the system of the
present invention to evaluate whether a farmer growing that crop in
the United States satisfies the Chilean import requirements for
such crops simply by evaluating the information in the system of
the present invention, which in a preferred embodiment has been
placed there in real time, allowing the shipper to make an
immediate decision as to whether to contact that U.S. farmer to
negotiate a purchase of some or all of the U.S. farmer's harvest of
that crop. A vender, such a large grocery store chain, may likewise
have particular compliance standards that can be easily checked and
verified with the agricultural pedigree by any interested party,
including the farmer, the shipper/distributor, the consumer, the
government, etc.
[0097] The system preferably incorporates a real time decision
making tool and a predictive modeling tool. The real time decision
making tool can calculate essentially any of a number of parameters
of the associated agricultural product, including but most
certainly not limited to sustainability measurements according to
optionally predefined variables, a profitability measurement based
upon total costs and current product price, a total water usage
measurement for crop production, a total carbon footprint
measurement for the agricultural product's production, and a risk
management measurement for the agricultural product's production
(such as profitability/loan amount). The predictive modeling tool
can similarly predict essentially any of a number of parameters of
the associated agricultural product, including predicted
sustainability measurement according to predefined variables, a
predicted profitability measurement based upon total expected costs
and expected product price, a total expected water usage
measurement for the agricultural product production, a total
expected carbon footprint measurement for the agricultural crop
production, and an expected risk management measurement for
agricultural product production (such as profitability/loan amount
with a range of uncertainty).
[0098] One important aspect of the present invention is inputting,
automatically or manually, contemporaneous inputs into the
agricultural pedigree system over time throughout the production
and distribution of the agricultural products. The contemporaneous
data inputting increases the accuracy and reliability of the data
allowing the system to be better utilized to verify compliance with
certain conditions. Backtracking to find data at a later point to
determine a compliance parameter naturally has considerably less
reliability.
[0099] Another important aspect of the system of the invention that
is preferred is the use of an interview process, which is
preferably a computerized interview process similar to that of
current tax preparation software's interview process, for inputting
data and setting up data inputs. The interview process assures that
the operator does not miss critical inputs and allows the operator
to modify the system for his particular needs by omitting data not
needed for his particular business sector. Further, in the case of
the computerized interview process, it will allow the user to set
up his own display as a personalized dashboard of results,
parameters, or the like that are relevant to that operators
business.
[0100] Another important aspect of the system of the present
invention discussed above is the step of using at least one of the
predictive modeling tool and the real time decision making tool to
facilitate risk sharing associated with the production of the
agricultural product by validating the risks associated with the
production of the agricultural product in an independent verifiable
manner. This system offers an important standard for documenting
loans of recourses based upon future agricultural production.
[0101] A further important aspect of the invention is allowing
access to the information storage device to and communication
between those in the chain of production including at least access
to agricultural product harvesters, packagers, transporters,
processors and distributors, and communication between at least
agricultural product harvesters, packagers, transporters,
processors and distributors.
[0102] As noted in the summary of the invention a user definable
grid for agricultural products allows for a series of unique
applications of the present invention. The device 2 of the
invention will preferably allow users to designate subsections of
their fields/property into identifiable subsections, referred
herein as a user definable grid. Each grid of a user's field can
also be called a sector. One implementation of the user definable
grid could utilize the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)
geographic coordinate system. The UTM is a grid-based method of
specifying locations on the surface of the Earth that is a
practical application of a 2-dimensional Cartesian coordinate
system. The UTM system employs a series of sixty zones, each of
which is based on a specifically defined secant transverse Mercator
projection. In a UTM user defined system the user need only define
the grid size. A further implementation of the user defined grid
system would allow user to specify at least a longitude origin, a
scale, and possibly "false northing" or "false easting" (which
allows for rotational orientation of the separate grid). The user
definable grid need not be limited to traditional grid-worked
grids. For example can use a map interface to identify segments,
such as tracing around an area on a map representation to form one
"grid", such as the colloquial "north forty." Thus there are
several manners in which users can easily create their own local
grids on the device 2. The user definable grid can be a
particularly useful when the system of the present invention is
utilized as a traceability tool, wherein the user defines a grid of
product source.
[0103] The user definable grid has further application in improving
pesticide application in agricultural product growing on a grower's
field. Pesticides are expensive and there is a general desire to
limit their application to that which is necessary for healthy
production. With a user definable grid for the grower's field, the
system can utilize the inputs for determining, for at least one,
and preferably all user defined grid designation unit the pesticide
requirements based upon real time data, predictive modeling or
combinations thereof. The system can be used to communicate these
grid specific pesticidal requirements to a pesticidal applicator,
such as a tractor with a controllable distributed pesticide
applicator. The pesticidal applicator can then apply pesticide
compounds to the specific grid designations in accordance with said
pesticidal requirements for the associated grid. The system gains
greater control over pesticide application and can be very
effective at minimizing overall pesticide applications.
[0104] The user definable grid has further application in improving
harvesting agricultural products. The system allows for maintaining
the Agricultural Pedigree for grower's field's product by grid
designation of the user defined grid. This information can also
yield a selective harvesting of the field based upon distinctions
in the Agricultural Pedigree via grid designation. The system of
the present invention allows the farmer to address the health and
progress and harvesting of their fields as a whole and practically
down to plants on an individual basis through maintaining
information on a user defined grid designation.
[0105] Following are non-limiting examples to more fully explain
the present invention. Departures from these specific examples
remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Example 1
General Example
[0106] In this prophetic example, an agricultural pedigree is
created as follows. A seed provider breeds an improved corn plant
variety for sale, Such breeding may be traditional breeding, or
involve genetic manipulation/modification or both. The seed
provider coats the seeds with an insecticide and other coatings,
and bags the seeds for sale to the seed retailer. Prior to the
shipping of a bag of the seeds to the retailer, the seed provider
inputs relevant data into the information storage and/or
information manipulation device 2 of the present invention. One
implementation of the device 2 is through a SaaS model that the
seed provider accesses as a customer with their own customizable
dashboard. The information added into the device 2 includes
information on the seed variety, genetic modifications or stacking
of genes, if any, the dates grown, the dates seeds were harvested
and how it was done, the coatings and the amounts of each placed on
the seeds and when they were coated, when the seeds were bagged,
including the make up of the bagging material and its
characteristics, and any other information deemed relevant to the
agricultural pedigree by either the seed provider, or by those
along the chain from planting to consumption of the crop, or
related thereto (such as U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for example).
[0107] In a preferred embodiment the bag includes a scanable
tracking means, such as a barcode. The seed provider schedules the
bag of seed for shipment to a seed retailer. The shipper scans the
bar code which tracks the moment of pickup and that information is
sent via cell phone technology to the device 2. The shipper may
have their own user definable dashboard interface with the device 2
for recording and displaying those parameters relevant to the
shipper. A global positioning device tracks the route the seed bag
takes from the seed provider to the seed retailer, tracking any
delays or stops, and sensors in the transporting unit (e.g. car,
truck, ship, etc) and/or within the seed bag record parameters
desired to be tracked, as for example but not limited to,
temperature or humidity or other conditions. This information is
sent via cell phone technology to the device 2. The seed retailer,
upon receiving the seed bag(s), scans the bar code(s) to record
receipt of the bag of seed which is also sent either via wireless
computer technology or cell phone technology to the device 2. The
retailer, likewise, may have their own user definable dashboard
interface with the device 2 for recording and displaying those
parameters relevant to the retailer. A farmer purchases the bag of
seed from the seed retailer and takes the seed back to his farm. On
at least one of his farm equipment, (e.g. either on the tractor,
the seed planter or both) is a scanning device. The farmer scans
the bag of seed which records the seed's insertion into the
farmer's planting equipment. The date and time of planting are
recorded by a timing device on the planter or tractor, and this
information is recorded either on the tractor's computer and sent
to the device 2, or is sent directly via cell phone technology to
the device 2. The farmer, like others in the production chain, may
have their own user definable dashboard interface with the device 2
for recording and displaying those parameters relevant to the
farmer. Also included in the farmer's tractor or the planter is a
global positioning device which records where the seeds are being
planted, in which field or portion of field of the farm, the depth,
the spacing of individual seeds and rows of seeds and any other
information deemed relevant to the agricultural pedigree. The
weather on the day of planting is recorded from a number of sources
accessed by the device 2, such as the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. Additionally, and optionally, the
farmer has included sensors on the farm which measure the humidity,
temperature and other parameters throughout all or a portion of the
growing season, and this too is sent either directly to the device
2 or to the farmer's tractor and then to the device 2. Throughout
the growing season, each time the tractor is used to treat that
area of the field, what the tractor is doing is recorded by one or
more of sensors on the tractor, sensors on the equipment pulled or
otherwise used by the tractor (e.g. sprayers etc) or by sensors on
the farm itself. Thus with any application of water, agricultural
chemicals including fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides,
herbicides and the like, this information is collected by the
farmer's equipment, preferably using scanning technology on the
containers of the materials being applied which is simply scanned
in by the farmer, and all of the collected information is sent to
the tractor and then to the device 2 or is sent directly via cell
phone technology to the device 2. As may be appreciated at this
point, when harvesting time comes, all aspects of harvesting,
including but not limited to date, time, portion of field, yield,
weather, days from original planting, size of kernel, etc, are
recorded by the equipment and/or the tractor and then sent to the
device 2, or are sent directly to the device 2. If recording from a
specific portion of a the field (which may be in the form of a user
defined grid of the overall field) is required for any reason, some
or all of the crop can be hand-picked, a global positioning system
coupled with a labeling system and printer creates a bar code in
the field, and the hand-picked crop is placed in containers with
the bar code applied thereon so that even the portion of the field
in which it was grown can be identified. Additionally, information
such as who did the picking and whether any sanitary or other
safety measures were employed can be among the captured information
as well. While unusual for corn, this of course may be quite
applicable to other crops, such as strawberries for example.
[0108] The harvested corn is stored on the farm, and a sensor on
the storage device records when the corn was placed in the silo,
the size of the silo and volume filled, are measured, whether any
conditioning of the seed occurred as it went into or out of the
silo is recorded, such as whether it was treated with insecticides
or fungicides, and if so, how much and how was it treated, also for
example, the airflow in the silo is recorded, a timing device
records how long it remained there, a global positioning device
records where it was stored and all of this information is
communicated to the device 2, directly or through intermediate
equipment. Again, other information, such as the weather conditions
throughout the storage period can be accessed by the device 2
manually or automatically, and recorded as part of the agricultural
pedigree of this harvested corn crop.
[0109] The farmer desires to sell his crop, and while he could
certainly use existing methods, such as calling his normal
purchasers, instead he uses the device 2. He alerts the device 2
that he is ready to sell his crop, which in turn is in
communication with a network of those who could purchase the crop.
The farmer can have a set price, or bidding can begin, or the
device 2 can access a third source, such as a standard commodity
pricing index relevant to the sale at that time. Alternatively
those who would purchase can receive bids from farmers, selecting
the lowest bid that meets their needs. Via the device 2, the sale
can be consummated, and the device 2 can automatically then contact
shippers to alert them to come to the farm to get the crop. Here
too, the device 2 can be used to provide the best price for
shipping to the farmer or the shipper. When the shipper arrives at
the farm to obtain the load, here too the date and time of pick up,
path of transport, and time of transport, how much was sold and how
much is left for sale can all be recorded and placed into the
device 2, adding to the agricultural pedigree.
[0110] In order to provide evidence of sustainable agriculture
and/or other parameters, such as carbon footprint, the information
provided to the device 2 relating to the farmer's methods relating
to growing, storing, treating and handling the crop can be used by
the device 2 to calculate a sustainability rating according, in a
preferred embodiment, to an agreed upon sustainability scale, much
like a Richter earthquake or diamond clarity scale. In other words,
preferably, a commonly accepted methodology for assessing
sustainability with predefined parameters has been agreed upon by
those associated with the agricultural industry, the device 2,
using those parameters, can provide a sustainability rating for
that farmer for that crop. It can also compare and contrast based
upon adjacent or nearby farms and/or regionally and/or nationally
and/or internationally all based upon the agricultural pedigree
information contained within the device 2. The device 2 can use
data it acquired from the tractor, equipment and sensors on the
farm, such as the amount of fuel and oil consumed by the tractor or
other equipment in the production of the crop. If such
automatically uploaded information is insufficient, the device 2
can be used by the farmer in a structured interview process, much
like today's tax preparation software, to guide the farmer into
providing any relevant and needed information in a way that will be
common to all farmers and in a way that is useable to the device
2.
[0111] As may be appreciated, while the device 2 can be a series of
separate computers, in a preferred embodiment it is available in
the manner common to today's application software where all those
inputting and extracting data do so from the applications software
provider who maintains the device 2.
[0112] Upon obtaining the corn crop from the farmer, the shipper
transports the corn crop to its desired destination, which in this
example, is a food processor. As may be appreciated, in a similar
fashion as outlined above with other phases of transport, times,
dates, routes of transport, temperature (ambient or temperatures
within the load via sensors) and more is all recorded and provided
to the device 2 to add to the agricultural pedigree. As the food
processor processes the corn into a different end product, in a
similar fashion, its processing and other equipment uploads
information relevant to the agricultural pedigree to the device 2.
Similarly, for any information not otherwise available via such
uploading, the food processor is taken by the device 2 through an
interview relevant to the food processing industry for this type of
food processor to obtain the relevant information in a useable
fashion. Here too, the device 2 is used to establish a sustainable
agriculture rating for the food processor.
[0113] The food processor is then in a position to send its
processed food to a food retailer, and again, the food processor
can use traditional routes, or can use the device 2 of the present
invention to alert would be purchasers that it has processed
product ready for sale. Again, the food processor can set a price,
the purchaser can set a price, the device 2 could access a pricing
index relevant to that product or bidding could occur by either a
series of food processors all wishing to sell their product or by a
series of purchasers wishing to purchase the product, which can be
coordinated via the device 2, with the sale consummated there as
well.
[0114] Again, as with the above, shippers can be automatically
notified, shipping prices established in a similar manner via the
device 2 and the processed food product is shipped to the retail
sales store for sale to a consumer. Where, for example, the retail
sales store desires to purchase foods having the best sustainable
agriculture rating, the ratings of the seed provider, farmer, food
processor and any transporting companies there between can be added
or otherwise blended to provide a sustainable agriculture rating or
carbon foot print rating or the like. The retail sales store may
desire to place some or all of this information on the product
being sold, as for example via a bar code or other scannable
technology. In this fashion, a consumer wanting to purchase the
product can use any scanning device, such as those presently
available even on the common "smart" phone presently available, bar
tags and radio frequency identification tags, and there at the
retail sales store, the consumer of the food product can make
purchasing decisions on such information from the agricultural
pedigree as is available via said bar code or similarly functioning
technology. Alternatively, the consumer may be placed in
communication with the device 2 to access any portion of the
agricultural pedigree desired to be viewed by the consumer. As may
be appreciated, an economically driven sustainability model is
possible in which agricultural products of high quality grown
sustainably may command or extract voluntarily from the consumer, a
higher purchase price. This can be particularly useful if the
sustainable agriculture actually cost more to produce, and,
arguably, these higher sales prices would carry higher margins,
thus providing an economic incentive for all those involved in
bringing the product to the consumer. to employ sustainable
agriculture. Alternatively to encourage a consumer to purchase
products of high sustainability, such products may carry a lower
sales price to encourage the consumer to spend his or her income on
such sustainable agriculture, providing the appropriate economic
incentives are in place for those involved in producing the
agricultural product and bringing it to the consumer. As may be
appreciated, in this example, not only is the agricultural pedigree
established, but the traceability tool is also established in this
manner. Still further, timely, even automatic uploading of some or
all of the data in the agricultural pedigree has operated in this
prophetic example to provide decision makers along the chain, from
the seed provider, to the farmer, to the food processor, to the
retail sales store, to the consumer, to the shippers, transporters
and others in the chain, with a real time decision making tool or
platform from the device 2.
Example 2
Just in Time Harvesting
[0115] A retailer or distributor in another country realizes a need
for a highly perishable agricultural product that will have to be
transported a substantial distance internationally. The retailer
(or distributor) could contact an international shipper directly or
a commodities broker in the traditional manner, but in this
example, the retailer/distributor has access to and utilizes device
2 as described in Example 1. The retailer/distributor could broadly
alert international shippers of its needs, or could alert a more
limited set or even a single shipper perhaps known to the
distributor/retailer. In this example, the retailer/distributor
notifies directly via device 2 via the open communications network,
an international shipper known to the retailer/distributor. The
international shipper of ocean going vessels realizes it has a
vessel that will be ready to disembark for transport to the
retailer/distributor at a date four weeks into the future. The
shipper accesses device 2 via the open communication network, and
places a notice of the quantity and type of agricultural product
with which it is desiring to fill its vessel, and of the date and
time the vessel will leave port, and its destination, and the
shipper is presented with a choice of either inputting the maximum
price the shipper is willing to pay for the agricultural product or
starting a bidding process in which the shipper is presented with
bids from farmers enabling it to seek the agricultural product for
the lowest bid. The shipper selects the option to state a price it
is willing to pay, and this is recorded in the device 2. The device
2, is populated with data allowing it to ascertain that for this
type of agricultural product crop and for its destination, there
are certain requirements that are established and must be met. For
example, the shipper specifies a certain sustainability rating. The
country of destination has set a maximum residue level (MRL) for
materials that are commonly used to treat that agricultural
product. Other parameters such as size, color, brix are
specifications/parameters that can be set by the
retailer/distributor. The retailer/distributor may even offer to
pay a premium if certain parameters, such as a certain desired
sustainability rating, carbon footprint, water usage level, etc.,
can be had, (particularly for example a reliable sustainability
rating of the type established by the device 2 for the reasons
described elsewhere in this application).
[0116] A first farmer, also accessing device 2 via the open
communications network, has such agricultural product in her field,
and so she attempts to offer to fill a portion of the shipper's
need. The device 2, locates the agricultural pedigree for that
product for that farmer, and further applies the sustainability
rating filter set by the shipper and the MRL filter set by the
country of destination, and concludes that this farmer's
agricultural product will meet the criteria set, and proceeds to
facilitate the making of the sale between the farmer and the
shipper. Upon consummation of the sale, this farmer knows that in
order for the agricultural product to reach the vessel at its
optimum time, given that the agricultural product has a long
transit time upon embarking from port, the farmer should harvest
the crop 12 days before the vessel's scheduled departure. In this
way, the farmer and the shipper communicate via device 2 for a just
in time harvesting to shipment relationship.
[0117] A second farmer, attempting to fill another portion of the
shipper's needs, also has its agricultural pedigree examined by the
device 2, and it is determined by device 2 to have easily met the
MRL standard for the country of destination, but the sustainable
agriculture rating of this second farmer is outside the range
specified by the shipper and/or retailer/distributor. The device 2
can either be programmed to not permit the sale to go further, or
it may be programmed to communicate this to the shipper to allow
the shipper to determine for itself or in consultation with the
retailer/distributor whether either will waive that particular
parameter, or it may be programmed to give the shipper the choice
of these courses of action.
[0118] In this example, the device 2 is programmed to advise the
shipper of a potential order but note that the sustainable
agriculture rating is not within the shipper's specified range. The
shipper can use this point to re-negotiate the sales price of the
material, or may waive that parameter, and the second farmer then
knows that given his distance from the vessel, he will have to
harvest his crop 14 days before the vessel's scheduled departure
date, and again, in this way, the second farmer and the shipper
communication via device 2 for a just in time harvesting to
shipment relationship.
[0119] As may be appreciated, there is benefit here to both the
shipper and the farmer. The shipper will have the agricultural
product when it is needed and with a surety it will be accepted at
its country of destination. The farmer is assured, even before
harvesting the agricultural product, of a sure and certain sale and
of the optimum time for harvesting in relation to shipment. Further
in this example, the end consumer in the country of destination
purchasing the product from the retailer/distributor is provided
with the scan-able bar code enabling it to determine what farmer
provided this product, and because the product has arrived at its
peak moment of use, the farmer's reputation is enhanced.
Conversely, if shipping or other delays affect the quality of the
agricultural product outside of the control of the farmer such that
the agricultural product is not so good, or fresh or fails to meet
some other important parameter, the farmer, accessing the
agricultural pedigree can determine that it was due to delays in
shipment, not his or her agricultural product, that was the cause
of this less than optimum result.
[0120] In this example, the first and second farmer fill the
shipper's need for the agricultural product, but yet at different
quality and different price points.
[0121] A third farmer attempts to offer to fill the shipper's need,
but is advised by the device 2 that the shipper's needs for the
agricultural product have been filled. While this third farmer, in
this example, will not have made the vessel or the sale, there is
benefit still in that this third farmer had not harvested his
agricultural product hoping to make a sale, only to have a highly
perishable product at risk. This third farmer can look for another
shipper having need of that product, so that this third farmer too
can enjoy the benefits of a just in time, harvest to shipping
relationship.
Example 3
Predictive Modeling
[0122] In this prophetic example, a grower having grown corn on a
large portion of his farm desires to convert a portion of his farm
to the production of wheat. Utilizing global positioning devices
and input from the grower, or by the grower's inputting of latitude
and longitude lines, or by way sensors placed about the farm that
provide coordinates on a grid, or by graphical user interface or
other means, the device 2 understands the geographic footprint of
this grower's farm. Still further, due to maintaining an historical
account of the corn grown by that grower on that farm from its
agricultural pedigree resident in device 2, the device 2 contains a
record of past yields in all or a portion of the farm of the corn
crop. In a preferred embodiment it maintains the agricultural
pedigree for adjacent or nearby farms, or similar farms situated
regionally, nationally, or globally, In a preferred embodiment, the
device 2 can correlate such information based upon filtering
qualifications selected by the user of the device 2, selected by
the device 2 or both, as described more fully below.
[0123] Utilizing a graphical user interface, or other means, the
grower highlights that portion of the farm that he is thinking of
changing from corn to wheat. The grower is presented with the
option of being taken through an interview process by the device 2
or to input information of his own choosing. Such information can
include labor rates, energy costs, rent, fertilizer costs, seed
costs, pesticidal active ingredient costs, seed costs, equipment
costs, etc. This farmer chooses the interview method; where upon
the device 2 acquires certain information from the grower by
conducting a computerized interview. Such information can include
the price of wheat seed in the grower's geographic area. If the
grower is not aware of a figure, the device 2 accesses published
sales prices of seed sellers in that grower's area and provide the
missing information. Optionally, if the grower does not agree with
that price, he can override it. In a similar fashion, other data is
either provided by the grower, provided by the device 2 from the
information already stored on device 2, or can be accessed by the
device 2 over the open communication network, such as information
which can be of a general nature (such as published prices for
seeds or published indexes for the sales prices of various crops).
Or the information collected or correlated during the interview
process can be specific to that farm based on past agricultural
pedigree information resident in device 2. As may be appreciated,
such information is not limited to just the preceding data, but may
include weather data, information on the wheat varieties with
identification of those performing particularly well in the area,
pesticidal compounds used to treat the agricultural product that
appear to have been shown to be particularly effective in the area,
among others. At the end of the interview process, the device 2,
utilizing predictive modeling, can provide the grower with an
accurate estimate of what that grower might expect to realize in
profits if such a portion of his farm were converted to wheat.
Still further, if the farmer needed additional equipment to
purchase or lease in order to plant or harvest a wheat crop, the
device 2 can be configured, preferably during the interview
process, to determine those needs and factor them into its final
predictive model of what the grower may hope to realize by
converting the identified portion of his farm from corn to wheat.
Similarly, the device 2 is programmed, in this example, to locate
and identify adjacent and/or nearby farms, or farms regionally,
nationally and/or globally similarly situated that that grew wheat
in the past and, based on its/their agricultural pedigree,
considered alone or in combination, to utilize that information to
further refine and improve the predictive model/assessment it
provides to the farmer making the predictive modeling inquiry.
Example 4
Risk Assessment/Modeling
[0124] In this prophetic example, the grower of Example 3 has
assured himself that wheat will significantly increase his profit,
and he decides to convert a portion of his farm to wheat. However,
he will have need of a major capital expenditure to purchase
certain equipment to enable him to plant and harvest his wheat, and
he needs a loan from a lending institution to purchase the
equipment.
[0125] The grower may use traditional methods to support such a
loan, but in this example, the grower approaches a lender in his
area seeking such a loan. The lender is also in communication with
device 2 via the open communication network, and with the grower's
permission, views the predictive model originally provided by the
device 2 to the grower. Because the predictive model has greater
accuracy than has heretofore been possible from the many advantages
of the device 2 as set forth above, including but not limited to
its access to agricultural pedigree information and/or sustainable
agriculture information for that particular farm, and for
comparative purposes, with other similar or somewhat similar farms
on a regional, national or international basis. Also, utilizing
information resident within device 2, and information available to
it over the open communication network, the lender is also quickly
assured that this is a sound business plan here. However, the
lender in this prophetic example holds the fear that the grower may
have been too optimistic in some of his assumptions during the
computerized interview process. Also, this lender has ideas of its
own that might further improve the profits, and so it too, engages
in its own a "what if" process utilizing device 2 to change some of
the predictive model parameters selected by the grower. In this
manner, the lender as well as the grower, is able to satisfy itself
that certain risks have been accounted for using the predictive
modeling tool, and it happily advises the grower that it can make
the loan.
Example 5
Variable Rate Pesticidal Application
[0126] In this prophetic example, a grower desires to apply a
pesticidal compound to his seed-based agricultural product in a
manner that applies it where it is needed but does not apply it
where it is not needed. Utilizing the device 2, the grower
maintains an agricultural pedigree for the agricultural product
grown on his farm. In this example, the device 2 includes the
capability for the grower to define one or more of his own grid
designation units, which user definable unit may be his entire farm
or one or more sub portions, such as one or more fields, within his
farm. By combining the agricultural pedigree of the device 2 with
the user definable grid designation unit, the grower can use any
combination of historical data, real time data, predictive modeling
and combinations thereof to ascertain which section within the grid
designation unit need the application of the pesticidal compound.
While the methodology for obtaining this data is not limiting to
the invention, it can include visual identifications, physical
sampling and/or testing, aerial observations, satellite
observations, sensors present on or around or otherwise in
proximity to the field, and combinations thereof. The user defined
grid designation unit can be user defined by latitude and longitude
coordinates, by graphical user interface, by satellite or other
mapping technology or combinations thereof, or any other technology
that allows the user to select a user defined grid designation
unit. Upon ascertaining which areas within the user defined grid
are in need of the pesticidal compound, this information is made
part of the agricultural pedigree of the device 2, and is
communicated via wireless computer technology, cell phone
technology or any similar technology to a device for variably
and/or selectively applying the pesticidal compound within the grid
designation unit. Such a device might be, for example, the modern
technologically advanced tractor, which can then use that
information in combination with its spraying equipment and global
positioning technology to deliver the pesticidal compound in a
variable fashion within the grid designation unit where it is
needed, and to stop such application within the grid designation
unit where it is not needed.
Example 6
Variable Harvesting
[0127] In this prophetic example, a grower desires to harvest his
seed-based agricultural product in a manner that allows him to
harvest that portion of his agricultural product which is ready for
harvesting, but to leave in the field that portion which must
mature further before harvesting. Utilizing the device 2, the
grower maintains an agricultural pedigree for the agricultural
product grown on his farm. In this example, the device 2 includes
the capability for the grower to define one or more of his own grid
designation units, which user definable grid designation unit may
be his entire farm or one or more sub portions, such as one or more
fields, within his farm. By combining the agricultural pedigree of
the device 2 with the user definable grid, designation unit, the
grower can use any combination of historical data, real time data,
predictive modeling and combinations thereof to ascertain which
section within the grid designation unit contains agricultural
product ready for harvesting. While the methodology for obtaining
this data is not limiting to the invention, it can include visual
identifications, physical sampling and/or testing, aerial
observations, satellite observations, sensors present on or around
or otherwise in proximity to the field, and combinations thereof.
The user defined grid designation unit can be user defined by
latitude and longitude coordinates, by graphical user interface, by
satellite or other mapping technology or combinations thereof, or
any other technology that allows the user to select a user defined
grid designation unit. Upon ascertaining which areas within the
user defined grid are ready for harvesting, this information is
made part of the agricultural pedigree of the device 2, and is
communicated via wireless computer technology, cell phone
technology or any similar technology to a device for variably
harvesting the agricultural product within the grid designation
unit. Such a device might be, for example, the modern
technologically advanced tractor, which can then use that
information in combination with its harvesting equipment and global
positioning technology to deliver harvest the agricultural product
in a variable fashion within the grid designation unit and to avoid
harvesting within the grid designation unit where the crop must
further mature for optimum yield or other results.
[0128] While particular embodiments have been described,
alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and
substantial equivalents that are or may be presently unforeseen may
arise to applicants or others skilled in the art. Accordingly, the
appended claims as filed, and as they may be amended, are intended
to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, variations,
improvements, and substantial equivalents. Further, the recited
order of processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers,
letters, or other designations therefore, is not intended to limit
the claimed processes to any order except as may be specified in
the claims. There are many alternatives to the present invention
that are within the scope of the broad teachings of this invention.
The full scope and content of the present invention is defined by
the appended claims and equivalents thereto.
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