Farmers and ranchers want to control the information their equipment collects every time it passes through a field, a survey released Wednesday by AFBF shows. Farmers also believe that creating a cooperative-style central repository for their data is the best way to enhance its security and maximize its value.
 
“We asked our members what they thought about data, and it is clear that boosting farmer confidence in security and data management will be critical to unlocking the potential this technology holds,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “This survey also shows that we are on the right track with various ag group initiatives designed to improve data integration and promote transparency about how the data is collected and used.”
 
AFBF is a founding member of the Ag Data Coalition, an organization created by several leading agricultural groups and companies to help farmers better store and manage their information in a central location. The ADC will establish a co-op-style repository for agricultural data, with farmers having a governing role over the group.