Indications that farmers, analysts and traders have started to lose trust in data from the United States Department of Agriculture are hardly a surprise.
Tag Archives farm data
Can we trust the USDA crop data anymore?
Staff cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture were seen as main culprit after corn acres got a sudden rework
New program focuses on data literacy for cow-calf producers
Case studies and mentoring will help give farm data decision-making power
The Data Literacy for Cow-Calf Producers project aims to give farmers and ranchers the chance to discuss best practices and learn from experts and peers about how to use data to make better business decisions.
Data management has varied adoption in the cow-calf sector.
Stormy skies for cloud-based farm tech
Trust dilemma adds turbulence to ag data integration
Cloud-based software developers face a dilemma when trying to crack the agricultural market. On one hand, integrating all the on-farm data they can gather with government systems, equipment manufacturers and other software companies could help farmers manage productivity and make decisions easier. On the other hand, farmers worry that those same developers might turn the
At Ag in Motion: Farmers gung-ho about digital integration system
'Having a single data point... was number one for us'
For a committed user of the Climate FieldView digital integration system, Mike Ferguson had an unusual observation about himself. “I’m not a big technology guy,” said Ferguson, who with his wife Regan farms 3,000 acres at Melfort, Sask. But for him, using the various data-based management tools available in farming today isn’t just helpful, but
At Ag in Motion: Find a purpose, then buy tech, Prairie grower says
No matter how cutting-edge, digital ag needs to be a fit on your farm
Investing in digital agriculture can be a daunting experience. A producer’s best bet, one northeastern Saskatchewan farmer says, is to do your homework and find a purpose for it on your farm. “You have got to have the root purpose of why you got that technology. Either that or you talk to others to help
The way we talk about digital agriculture obscures interests behind it, says author
Facebook users pay for use with data. Farmers pay with data and for using it
Treating farm data like it’s a natural resource or comes ‘from on high’ makes it harder to see the forces that shape and profit from it, contends a new book. “In agriculture, just like in other contexts… there are really powerful interests behind the collection of data and the use and misuse of data,” said author Kelly Bronson
How one farm put data analytics to work
This grain farm makes money by assessing data on everything from employees to soil moisture
Most people say, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” But at Hebert Grain Ventures, their motto is, “If it’s not broke, you haven’t looked hard enough.” “We don’t believe that, just because we had a good year or a good yield, that’s enough,” said Evan Shout, the Saskatchewan farm’s chief financial officer. “If we
Grain equipment firm AGI takes stake in Farmobile
Canadian grain handling and storage equipment maker Ag Growth International plans to dial up its collaboration with ag tech firm Farmobile and has taken a minority stake in the U.S. company to that end. Winnipeg-based AGI announced Tuesday it had agreed to make a “minority equity investment” of US$15 million (C$19.57 million) in Farmobile, effective
Big data — a big topic among farmers
Assessing more information has and will lead farmers to better agronomic decisions
Big data is big business. Two years ago Monsanto paid $1 billion for Climate Corp., a firm that specializes in digitizing and aggregating a long list of data collected from farmers’ fields. The numbers are crunched and sold to farmers so they can make better agronomic decisions and more money. It all started with yield
Farm groups, ag tech companies agree on data privacy standards
Reuters — A consortium of farmer organizations and agriculture data technology providers on Thursday published a set of data privacy and security principles aimed at reassuring farmers that data they share with Big Data services providers will not be misused. The non-binding principles are also meant to provide companies that collect, store and analyze farmer