Farms.com Home   News

Could Big Data Be Farmers’ New Cash Crop?

An agriculture technology expert addressed how farmers can make a profit from their farm’s data, at a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 96th Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show.

The increasing attention to farmer data rights over the past several years shows no signs of slowing down.Jason Tatge, current president, CEO and co-founder of FarMobile, sees huge potential for farmers to dictate the sale of their data to large agricultural companies. According to Tatge, farmers currently lack the necessary protection of their data. “Without a safeguard, data could manipulate margins,” he explained. “Our goal is to get the revenue stream back to the growers.”

He expects his company, FarMobile, to be the first of many to step in and mediate this process. FarMobile provides farmers with a device that can be plugged into a tractor to gather data on land and machinery including fuel economy, speed, direction and products being applied. The information is then directed to an electronic file that can be accessed at the farmer’s discretion.

Once this data is in the system, FarMobile facilitates opportunities between farmers and agricultural companies by allowing large companies to make offers to purchase the farmer’s data, should they desire to make a profit rather than utilize it for personal use.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

Follow the Potato Farmer

Video: Follow the Potato Farmer

We are taking students out to southern Manitoba to Hespler Farms! Farmer Wayne will teach students how he plants and cares for his potato crop and why potatoes are such a unique crop to grow. Teachers, check out your AITC Dashboard for Math'd Potatoes, a potato-themed classroom resource to pair with this tour video. Thank you to Peak of the Market and Penner Farm Services for making this event possible.