1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 420 І Washington, DC 20005 І Phone: 202 ...

Dear AgGateway Conference Committee Members, I am very excited to receive a chance to apply for this award to attend the 2013 AgGateway Annual Conference. Coming originally from Tokyo, Japan, I have been working towards my Ph.D. degree in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University since 2012. Prior to my Ph.D. program, I completed my M.S. degree at Cornell in research related to precision agriculture for rapid assessment of farm scale soil quality and variability. Aside from my academic work, I am involved with a Japanese multidisciplinary group (growers, university researchers, independent agricultural consultants, Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, seed companies etc.) aiming to share information on various agricultural technologies, marketing strategies and to further innovate in the agricultural sector. Also, in the past, I have worked in a research unit of CIRAD (Agricultural Research for Development: http://www.cirad.fr/en) in Costa Rica for greenhouse gas and soil erosion assessment. I have received my B.S. degree in Agriculture from the University of Wales, Bangor in 2008 and have worked on several commercial farms in the northern island of Japan. Currently, my overarching research interests are on “sustainable soil management” and “cropping system resiliency”. To approach these goals, I am analyzing the effects of various soil management practices such as conservation tillage and residue return on soil properties below conventional soil assessment depth (6-inches) often referred to as subsoil. The subsoil properties as well as nutrient cycling mechanisms have not been well studied though nutrients and moisture availabilities in this area become significantly important under sub-optimal growing conditions. Higher growing season temperatures, more frequent short- and medium- term droughts and extreme precipitation events are predicted to continue in various parts of the world, which support our effort in assessing various soil properties in the subsoil. The assessment of subsoil is difficult and labor-intensive, therefore, connecting the information from advanced next generation technologies that are becoming available in precision agriculture as well as solid scientific research in long-term agricultural experimental sites is necessary. This information will be used for more precise guidance of various agricultural practices as well as confirming the benefits of conservation agricultural practices to further enhance cropping system resiliency. I attended the Info Ag conference in July 2013 in Springfield, IL to familiarize myself with the technological advances in precision agriculture. Fortunately, I had an opportunity to attend a presentation on AgGateway where I was impressed by seeing the level of collaborative efforts in the industry. I strongly believe that their forward thinking mindsets on using the available data effectively by standardization and even on creating a glossary of common terms can not only increase the efficiency but also create more opportunities for new businesses. If given this opportunity, I would like to closely look at the future direction of US agricultural industries and also network with as many people from various organizations as possible. Since I am hoping to work outside of academic research beyond soil science discipline upon graduation, either in agricultural industries or international agricultural development, this will be a great opportunity to interactively think where my expertise can be used. Also, I am hoping to interact with professionals in both “precision agriculture” and “crop nutrition” areas where I can exchange ideas from my research experiences while thinking about how to reach wider “real-world” issues. As I come from Japan where there is a strong need for industry involved collaborative effort as AgGateway, I believe I can provide some international perspectives on the issue of collaboration. Furthermore, I am very interested in gaining information about what the current challenges and opportunities are for AgGateway and their prospects on expanding their projects overseas. I believe collaboration among progressive agricultural industries is a key to effectively bring positive changes in various issues around agriculture. Sincerely, Rintaro Kinoshita

1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 420 І Washington, DC 20005 І Phone: 202-743-5967 І email: [email protected]