About Ag Connections

Development

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  Andres Ferreyra, Ph.D. Coordinator of Research and Development

  Born in Argentina, Andres has over 20 years of experience in technology R&D in the private sector and academia.

  Andres graduated as an Electric and Electronic Engineer from the University of Córdoba, Argentina (UNCOR). He worked for several years developing small instrumentation computers for industrial use, and weather satellite image reception and processing systems, as managing partner in Dexar, a company he co-owned. He later got an MS in Agronomy / Agrometeorology, also at UNCOR. Finally, he completed a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Florida, with a Minor in Computer Science.

  Andres’ research interests include using mathematical techniques (simulation models, nonlinear combinatorial optimization, and knowledge-based / artificial intelligence techniques) to develop very user-friendly tools that can help growers solve problems while keeping the “dirty work” of dealing with data hidden from view as much as possible. These interests brought him to Ag Connections, first as a graduate student, then as a consultant, and finally as a full-time employee.

  While working on his Ph.D. dissertation, Andres contacted Ag Connections, which had been pointed out to him as a source of high-quality precision agriculture data. In mid-2000 Andres met Rick and Pete in person, and Ag Connections began to help him collect soil water data in Suggs 4, a field in Rick’s farm. In late 2003, while still living in Gainesville, FL, Andres joined Ag Connections as a consultant, laying down the groundwork for what would later become Hand.db, AgC Scout, and other spatial data handling tools. In June of 2004, Andres moved to Murray as a full-time member of the Ag Connections Team. He currently leads development of various telemetry integration, remote data entry, and irrigation-related projects.

  In Andres’ own words, “I work at Ag Connections because what we do here is of great consequence. Food safety is critically important in the 21st century. Globalization makes food traceability more pressing, while at the same time harder for growers to afford. Growers all over the world face the challenge of having to collect production data, and of using it to comply with regulatory mandates, complete frequent industry certification processes, and comply with production and certification protocols to add value to their crops, all in a climate of fierce competition. This can be totally overwhelming, and is one of the reasons why farms go out of business. Farmers often have a huge administrative load just to stay afloat in a market that is increasingly demanding information. We at Ag Connections are in a privileged position to help growers thrive in this environment; we can help them to quickly get value, many times, from information they collect only once and with minimum effort.”

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  Brandon Sharp Software Developer

  Brandon is a senior software developer and has been with Ag Connections since May 2002. Holding a bachelor of science in computer science from Murray State University, his emphasis is on client application development, UI design, and data architecture. He has been one of the primary developers on the Land.db project since its inception and has had a hand in several other projects and internal tools as well.

  Brandon is the Ag Connections team leader for the Technology and Code Review team and plays an active part in researching and implementing new technologies and methodologies for various projects. Developing long term direction for our technology path is critical to the usability of our products.

  Developing clean easy to use interfaces for our products is always in mind as we do our best to make the task of entering information in Land.db a natural process. Brandon strives to stay knowledgeable of current and future trends in usability and interface design so that the products that we create continue to be visibly fresh and modern while keeping the end-user experience foremost in our design philosophy.

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  Bryan Morgan Software Developer

  Bryan Morgan has been a part of Ag Connections since May 2010, and is the newest addition to the Software Development team.  His primary focus is application development and UI design, while learning a number of new technologies at the same time.  Since he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Murray State University in 2010, much has changed in the software development world, and keeping up with that curve is one of the things that Bryan enjoys most about his new position.

  Before Software Development, Bryan was a member of the QA/Testing, and Support teams.  This allowed him to begin his role at Ag Connections by developing a deep understanding of the issues that users can face when operating software, and use that understanding as a developer to improve the user’s experience.

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  Corey Perkins Software Developer

  Corey Perkins is a software engineer; he has been one of Ag Connections’ lead application developers since joining Ag Connections in 2004. Corey is an integral part of several teams at Ag Connections that work together to deliver desktop and web solutions to clients throughout the western hemisphere; he is also the “Gatekeeper” in charge of the stewardship of our data models.

  On a daily basis Corey focuses on application design/implementation using the latest Microsoft .NET Framework, the latest Microsoft Visual Studio development environment, and other well-known, proven tools/frameworks. Corey takes great pride in staying on the bleeding edge of software development and thrives in his role as mentor to his fellow developers.

  Corey received his Bachelor of Science in Business with concentration in Computer Information Systems from Murray State University in 2003.

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  Eddie Dillon Software Developer

  Eddie Dillon has been employed by Ag Connections as a software developer since 2005, specializing in software development. He has contributed to several of Ag Connections’ products, but his primary focus is as a member of the Reports Team, where he works to empower users to view large amounts of data very quickly, in well-defined, report-style formats.

  Before working for Ag Connections, Eddie was employed at Texas Roadhouse in Louisville, Kentucky. Eddie received his Bachelor of Science in Business with an area in Computer Information Systems from Murray State University in 1999.

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  Jason Purcell Software Developer

  Jason Purcell has worked as a consultant to Ag Connections since 2004. Initially, he contributed to Land.db’s forerunner, Crop Calculator. He was soon charged with developing Land.db’s first companion product for mobile devices, Hand.db. Because Hand.db and Land.db were required to exchange data extensively, Jason naturally became involved in a long succession of projects focused on the transfer and transformation of data between both internal and third-party applications and devices. All of these data exchange projects are integrated into a single Ag Connections application: Land.EC. Jason now develops exclusively for Ag Connections, sub-contracting all other work to his associates.

  As an independent contractor 1988-1995 and 2004-today, Jason developed software for high schools, universities, technology companies, government offices, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and large corporations. In between, he worked first as a developer — and later as president and CTO — of Hawkins Research. There, Jason created PowerClaim, property insurance adjusting software that’s still used by Fortune 500 companies today

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  Mack Harris Software Developer

  Mack Harris has been with Ag Connections since September 2004.  As a software engineer, his primary focus is to develop mapping tools and components for Land.db, Ag Connections’ flagship product. He grew up in western Kentucky raising tobacco and row crops on the family farm.  He graduated from Murray State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business in the area of Computer Systems Management in 1980.

  Prior to working at Ag Connections, Mack spent 19 years at LWD in Calvert City as a senior programmer/analyst and spent 5 years in consulting with Applied Computing Technology as a software project leader.  The software he developed during that time dealt with hazardous waste incineration, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and electric power generation and distribution.

  Mack’s many years of experience in industry and agriculture give him a solid foundation upon which to work with the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies.

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  Mark Young Software Developer

  Mark Young has been with Ag Connections since 2009 as an integration and software developer.  He develops special use software ranging from AgC Mobile and AgC Scout to information fusion and data representation.  In his own words, “I like to think of computers as working in my field.  I enjoy ‘training’ them to work for others in their fields.”  It never occurred to him that others’ fields would one day be literal fields.

  Mark has a diverse technical background including web applications and services, business rules engines, database design and management, financial statistics calculations, and even a neutron generator.  This enables him to give Ag Connections’ clients flexible and feature-rich services like the new AgC Scout which runs on desktops, iPhones®, Androids®, and Blackberries® and synchronizes and caches their data in seconds while many companies are talking about developing similar technology.

  Mark grew up on the family farm in south-central Kentucky growing mostly row crops and fish. He received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Afterwards, he worked for IBM as an automation specialist for 5 years, an integration advisor on government contracts for 1 year, and a web application developer for 3 years.

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  Matt Crider Software Developer

  Matt Crider has been with Ag Connections since 2001, when he worked with us as a contractor, and since 2002 as a full time employee.  Matt develops web applications and manages the development of the Land.db Viewer browser. The Land.db Viewer web systems allow our users to share data, using a process they control, with partners both inside and outside their business. This gives our customers powerful opportunities to add value to their crops and to interact with business partners in novel ways.

  Prior to working with Ag Connections, Matt worked for Accela, a government services company, and Digital Jones, a company that later became part of Shopping.com. Matt graduated from Murray State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science in 1999.

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  Pilar Ard Software Developer

  Pilar Ard has been serving Ag Connections since February 2004. Originally from Paraguay, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business with an area in Computer Information Systems from Murray State University.  Starting in support with the ability to help foreign clients, she transitioned to a software engineer/web developer. She is responsible for the Land.db software localization to Spanish and Portuguese, as well as dealing with the support issues of customers in Mexico and Brazil. She also administers the company’s website and creates the artwork needed for paper marketing and web usage.

  Pilar’s recent projects include development of AgC Mobile and forms processing for Ag Connections’ Turf.db service. Understanding technology direction and the impact that Smartphones and tablets are going to have on mobile data collection makes these products critical to helping our customers collect data as it happens.

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  Shea Forrester Software Developer

  Shea Forrester is a software engineer, and has been with the company since 2004.  Shea is responsible for report development, the software installation process, and the implementation of financial software integration. 

  Shea has had the opportunity to fill a number of roles for Ag Connections over the years, ranging from Customer Support and Sales, all the way to Development.  He also has a background in agriculture, growing up on a tobacco farm. This has helped him relate to the needs of our customers, and thus develop software that closely meets their expectations.

  Shea graduated from Murray State University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a minor in Computer Information Systems.

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  Stuart Rhea Software Developer

  Stuart Rhea has been with Ag Connections since May 2007 as a software engineer. He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Computer Science in 1996 then went on to the University of Illinois-Urbana, earning a Master of Science in Physical Chemistry in 1999.

  He is responsible for integration with field devices (controllers and displays), smartphones, telemetry systems, and other embedded devices. Stuart also works with precision agriculture data, implementing GIS functionality in Land.EC. The most recent developments allow data coming from GS2 / GS3 controllers to spatial apply crop record keeping applications to their appropriate fields in Land.db.

  Prior to working with Ag Connections, Stuart worked as an embedded software engineer for a company that develops breath alcohol detection devices for commercial and law-enforcement markets.

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