Farmers Can Securely Store And Manage Their Data Through New Coalition

By: Southeast Farm Press

Thanks to precision agriculture and advancements in equipment and computing technology, America’s farmers are building a treasure trove of production information that will help fuel future innovation.

A new organization, the Agricultural Data Coalition, plans to help farmers better control, manage, and maximize the value of their data.

The ADC is the result of years of planning and coordination by AGCO, the American Farm Bureau Federation, Auburn University, CNH Industrial, Crop IMS, The Ohio State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Raven Industries, and Topcon Positioning Group.

Its goal is to build a data repository where farmers can securely store and oversee the information collected by their tractors, harvesters, aerial drones, and other devices.

Over time, the data can be scrubbed, synced, and transmitted in an efficient and uniform way to third parties – whether they are researchers, crop insurance agents, government officials, farm managers, input providers, or any trusted advisor the farmer chooses.

“The key is that farmers are in complete control, and they decide who is allowed access to their data,” explained ADC Executive Director Matt Bechdol.

“That’s what sets ADC apart. This is not about profit for others, it’s about streamlining data management, establishing clear lines of control, and helping growers utilize their data in ways that ultimately benefit them.”