Posted November 14, 2014
U.S. farm
organizations and agriculture technology providers (ATPs) have reached an
agreement on data privacy and security
principles that will “encourage the use and development of a full range of
innovative, technology-driven tools and services to boost the productivity,
efficiency and profitability of American agriculture,” according to an American
Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) release available here.
The Wall Street Journal also published an article available here
and Agri-Pulse here.
“The principles
released today provide a measure of needed certainty to farmers regarding the
protection of their data,” said Bob Stallman, president of AFBF. “Farmers using
these technology-driven tools will help feed a growing world while also
providing quantifiable environmental benefits. These principles are meant to be
inclusive and we hope other farm organizations and ATPs join this collaborative
effort in protecting farm-level data as well as educating farmers about this
revolutionary technology.”
A
data-driven farming approach has increased farmers’ production and reduced
financial costs, but some farmers are still concerned about the safety of their
information, according to The
Wall Street Journal.
AFBF has
warned farmers that seed companies may influence farmers to purchase more seeds
or direct farmers to purchase particular equipment.
Farmers
will send large amounts of business and production information to ATPs concerning
their planting, production, and harvesting practices. Companies utilize that
data to produce “field prescriptions and benchmarks that provide valuable
information farmers can use to make decisions on when, how and which crop
varieties to plant, and optimize the application of crop protection and
fertilizer inputs,” according to Agri-Pulse.
Other
groups or companies supporting the principles are: American Soybean
Association, Beck's Hybrids, Dow AgroSciences LLC, DuPont Pioneer, John Deere,
National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association,
National Farmers Union, Raven Industries, The Climate Corporation - a division
of Monsanto, and USA Rice Federation.
For more
information, a copy of the data privacy and security principles agreement is
available here.
