Posted May 7, 2014
Agricultural data analysis and use may the next big
development in agricultural production, but it also has caused some privacy
concerns among producers. In response to
those concerns, the American Soybean Association has joined with other soybean
groups to form an “ag data working group” to help provide information to
producers, according to an article by RFDTV available here.
The group had its first meeting recently on issues such
as ownership of data, privacy, compatibility and interoperability, quality,
compensation, managing, storing, security, and cost.
Monsanto
Co., which acquired Climate Corp., a data analytics company, in October
recently stated its support for industry-wide standards for managing farm data. The Climate Corp. is forming an Open Agricultural
Data Alliance (OADA) of providers and farmers to find a consensus on standards
for farm data privacy, security, and interoperability.
Many are embracing the benefits “big data” offers while
also sharing those concerns of the soybean groups, according to an article by
St. Louis Public Radio, available here.
Climate Corp.’s Director of Product Management, Tristan
D’Orgeval, says giving farmers accurate weather information “takes huge amounts
of data from many different sources, including radar, rain gauges, and
satellites.” This year, the company
“launched a paid version of its service, called Climate Pro” to corn farmers in
nine Midwestern states. The quality of
the data, however, is limited to the data people share with the system.
For more information on biotechnology, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
