Duff Believes in Power of Grassroot Organizations like ADT

Growing up on a farm in West Texas, John Duff was very familiar with sorghum and cotton as the main crops of the region. Yet he never thought about working for groups that advocate for the farmers of those crops until an internship where he met Tom Sell who was working on behalf of the National Sorghum Producers. Duff went on to serve on the National Sorghum Producers staff for many years and is now founder of Serō Ag Strategies, and recalls that initial exposure to farmer groups was pivotal.

“I became really passionate about commodity group and the power of grassroots organizations,” Duff says. “The farmer voice is needed in DC, and these groups facilitate key conversations and having farmers get to DC at right moments to tell the story that is needed for good policy and regulations.”

Duff represents the National Sorghum Producers on the Ag Data Transparent Board and brings insight from his variety of interactions with farmers. He credits fellow ADT board member Billy Tiller who is from the same region for perspective on the use of ag data. “Billy  has been watching farm data from day one, knowing the value of the data and watching out for how it  is used,” Duff says.

He points out that how farmers think about the value of data is evolving over time and technology companies must focus on farmer benefit. “As the carbon marketplace evolves, for example, companies must be sure the farmer benefit and ability to monetize is front and center,” Duff says.

Duff works with start-ups and in real estate, while remaining passionate about the sorghum organization. “The sorghum team is thinking about how farmers are compensated and is  aggressive on the front end to think about the marketplace and being thoughtful about market mechanisms for compensation,”  he says.

He credits ADT for keeping the ag data conversation going, educating so farmers can get a leg up in safely managing their data. “The ADT core principles are important and can be a guiding light,” he says. Being on the board helps him stay in the loop as discussions happen. “The networking is valuable, convening opportunities to get together  and talk in a structured way,” Duff concludes.