Transparency in Ag Data: Let's Be Crystal Clear

A clear blue sky. A clear stream. A clear understanding. Mother Nature has a hand in those first two examples seen in agriculture, and Ag Data Transparent (ADT) works to help with the third - a clear understanding between farmers and their tech providers. Ag technology has expanded dramatically since our organization was formed almost a decade ago, making the need for clarity even more important.

“Farmers in Canada feel (and I think USA farmers feel the same) that trust and transparency are still issues that tech providers need to be able to discuss with their customers,” says Darcy Heruf, ADT Board member with Farm Credit Canada. "In order to give farmers access to new tools, processes, value chains, etc, tech providers need to be able to articulate what they do with the data. They also need to articulate how their customers benefit from using their tool and storing their data in it.”

While information needs to be in simple, direct language that doesn’t add any doubt as to the nature of the relationship, Heruf points out that responsibility for clarity needs to be shared. “Tech providers need to be upfront about data usage, and farm customers need to ask the questions so they are comfortable using new tools and accessing new capabilities.” He continues, “I believe ADT helps with these conversations and is instrumental to ensuring farmer’s data is respected and used to help them.”

Laura Lee, ADT Board member with Combyne Ag, shares her organization’s perspective on the need for clear and transparent language and how ADT was helpful in the following video clip.  

You can link here to access the Model Ag Data Use agreement mentioned by Lee. To learn more about earning the ADT seal of approval for your company, link here.

Not every day can bring clear blue skies, but having clear understanding of how ag data is used is indeed possible and is the commitment of ADT members and supporters.