Posted February 26, 2014
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) recently voiced its concerns related to “big data,” ownership and control of farm-level data, and privacy, according to an AFBF news release available here.
“Big data” in agriculture has been a topic of discussion since Monsanto’s acquisition of Climate Corp., a data analytics company, in October.
Brian Marshall, a farmer and Missouri Farm Bureau member testified at the House Small Business Committee on behalf of AFBF. Marshall said, “For years, farmers have used technology advances to better match varieties of seeds, production inputs and management practices with specific field characteristics.” Marshall said that farmers are concerned about data privacy when it is collected by companies and added that farmers “should have a say and be compensated when their data is sold.”
Farmers have shared various forms of crop data with companies for years, but “the rate and specificity is taking a significant jump,” according to a Western Farm Press article available here. Beginning this year, farmers can sign up for a service that lets companies like Monsanto or John Deere collect data from their farms, “minute by minute, as they plant and harvest their crops.”
The technology will allow these companies to offer an “invaluable, tailor-made regimen of seed, soil and weather data to a farmer.” The ownership and privacy aspects of the data are still unknown. Monsanto, however, recently stated its support for industry standards for farm data.
For commentary on the issues of data privacy, a St. Louis Public Radio article is available here.
For more information on biotechnology, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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