Farm-level data sharing; Precision Agriculture; Diversification for Minority Farmers

As more points in the value chain seek production data, it’s still unclear to producers what information is needed, who benefits and who is willing to share the cost of collecting and reporting. Providing greater clarity to these questions and helping producers align data sharing with broader values and motivations is critical to reach scale and allow more producers to benefit from opportunities in the climate-smart economy.

A panel of experts at this year’s Trust In Food Symposium used the recently released “Understanding Farmer Perspectives on Data” report as the backdrop to discuss how downstream buyers can support farmers and how to help more production data move through the value chain.

Learn what Trust In Food's Kristin Leigh Lore uncovered during the panel and what the experts signaled as key to data sharing.

Farm-level production data is critical for precision agriculture and sustainable production systems, but many factors continually stand in the way of farmers willingly handing over that currency.

“It’s human nature to ask, ‘What’s in it for me?’ and farmers are human,” says Rick Rice, director, application technology, AMVAC Chemical Corp. “As an industry, we must make certain that farmers realize value from data they provide and that they’re confident it won’t be used for purposes other than those defined in the data sharing agreement.”

America’s Conservation Ag Movement (ACAM) visited with Rice to discuss what he’s experienced in his career in precision agriculture, what he feels is needed to bridge the data gap and how AMVAC is helping to provide those solutions for farmers.

According to the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, their goal is a “world where U.S. dairy unlocks transformative good for people and the planet, becoming a catalyst for a healthy, sustainable future.” The checkoff-funded organization believes that to accomplish this work, a collaborative model deployed not only through the growers that it represents but throughout the entire value chain, will have the most impact.

Lori Captain, Executive Vice-President of Global Sustainability Strategy, Science and Industry Affairs, believes strongly in this model as the best way to propel the organization’s work forward.

“We employ a partnership-centric model to address barriers, advance research and find economically viable solutions for challenges faced by our farmers,” she says. “Partnerships catalyze innovation and broaden the reach of new technologies and insights, essential for fostering sustainable food systems.”

Trust In Food's Jamie Sears Rawlings shares how this model is providing success for the dairy industry.