AUBURN, Ala.— Auburn University has joined a new initiative dedicated to the mission of helping farmers better control, manage and maximize the value of the data they collect every day in the fields.
The Agricultural Data Coalition is the result of years of planning and coordination by AGCO, the American Farm Bureau Federation, Auburn University, CNH Industrial, Crop IMS, The Ohio State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Raven Industries and Topcon Positioning Group.
ADC’s goal is to build a national online repository where farmers can securely store and control the information collected by their tractors, harvesters, aerial drones and other devices. Over time, that data can be cleaned, synced and transmitted in an efficient and uniform way to third parties, whether they be researchers, crop insurance agents, government officials, farm managers, input providers or any trusted advisor the farmer chooses.
“We are honored to be a founding member of the Agricultural Data Coalition,” said Steve Taylor, chair of Auburn’s Department of Biosystems Engineering. “Through our research and extension programs, we are committed to identifying new tools and strategies that will help Alabama agricultural producers better manage their data and ultimately make better management decisions. We see this coalition as an exciting new development that will help producers stay competitive while continuing to be good stewards of our resources.”
A press briefing on ADC was last week during the annual Commodity Classic in New Orleans.
“The key is that farmers are in complete control, and they decide who is allowed access to their data,” explains ADC Interim Executive Director Matt Bechdol. “That’s what sets ADC apart. This is not about profit for others, it’s about streamlining data management, establishing clear lines of control, and helping growers utilize their data in ways that ultimately benefit them.”
Farmers interested in learning more about data collection and organizations interested in joining ADC’s efforts should visit www.AgDataCoalition.org.
For more information, contact Taylor at taylost@auburn.edu.
