Purdue Helps To Found Ag Data Coalition

Jul 20, 2016

By Keith Robinson

Purdue University has become a founding member of the Agricultural Data Coalition, a group formed to build a central repository where farmers can safely store and manage their farm's production information.

Extracting more value from yield maps, soil tests, remote sensing, equipment sensors and dozens of other sources should help farmers better understand their growing environment and in turn fuel innovation and drive efficiency on the farm.

The process of turning that data into knowledge and eventually management enhancements will be streamlined by storing and transmitting information in a centralized and usable way.

"As the amount of data collected on farms grows exponentially, farmers and their service providers are transforming how data is captured, analyzed and utilized to make decisions or recommendations," said Joe Anderson, head of the Department of Agronomy, in announcing Purdue's participation in the Agricultural Data Coalition. "ADC is focused on giving farmers the tools needed to maximize their asset's value."

Manage access

Once the repository is built, farmers will be able to upload information and manage who has access to it through the equivalent of an online banking system. The ADC will then securely transmit the data to whomever the farmer instructs - whether they be data service providers, university researchers, insurance agents, government officials, farm managers, input providers or any trusted adviser.

"We are proud to be at the forefront of an effort that will have such a profound impact on Indiana's agricultural community," said Bruce Erickson, agronomy education distance and outreach director, who will coordinate activities for Purdue in this venture. "We have seen how data analytics has transformed other industries. There has been good progress made in agriculture, but the opportunities are immense."

Other ADC founding members are AGCO, the American Farm Bureau Federation, Auburn University, CNH Industrial, Crop IMS, Mississippi State University, The Ohio State University, Raven Industries, Topcon Positioning Group and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"The diversity and scope which the founding members bring to the ADC is important to making sure the repository is built in a way that will be most useful to farmers now and in the future," said Matt Bechdol, the group's interim executive director. "We're honored to have Purdue join as a founding member, and as a proud Boilermaker myself, I look forward to working closely with them during this exciting time. "