Question 7: Making the Complicated Clear

Wading through ag data contracts can be as frustrating as trying to separate individual noodles in a pile of spaghetti.  As farmers untangle each element of a contract, it is important to know exactly how their farm’s information will be used and by who.  Will they be asked for consent if their operation’s information is going to be sold and aggregated?

 Question 7 address consent and the sale of aggregated data: By signing up, does the user give the tech company the right to sell aggregated data to third parties without obtaining further consent?

 Farmer leader Britt Raybould, President of the Ag Data Transparency (ADT) Board, former President of the National Potato Council and Chief Financial Officer at Raybould Brothers Farms, emphasizes the value of an operation’s data and why it is important to know who is using it.

 “It seems like farming went from low-tech to high-tech overnight, and we started generating a ton of data. That data has a value, both to the farmers who produce it and the farm-tech companies who want to make the most of it,” Raybould says. “That's why it's so important to understand exactly what we're consenting to, including if a third party can gain access to our data without us ever knowing.”

 Companies who have earned the Ag Data Transparent seal are spelling this out clearly for their customers.  You don’t have to untangle the spaghetti to understand if your data is going to be sold. 

 Click here to see frequently asked questions and their answers regarding ADT certification.