We launched a quick survey in the OFE-C info letter no. 5. To the question, “Do you use a standard for your agronomic data? » 85% answered, “No, but I would be interested,” nobody simply answered, “no” and 15% answered, “Yes.” Among the latter, the following standards were suggested:

There is a growing need to quantify complex interactions of processes for diverse environmental conditions and crop management realities. Any study is worth very little in itself unless its data is being agglomerated with others to express conclusions valid for commercial use. In order to tear the agronomic data Babel Tower down, there is little alternative but to converge on standards, at least for a minimal set of them. The OFE-C will start a conversation on agronomic (management practices or treatments, soil and weather data and measurements of crop responses) standards for data and metadata. Stay tuned!