A coalition of major farm organizations including AFBF, commodity groups and agriculture technology providers on Thursday, March 03, 2016 debuted a tool designed to help farmers understand how their data will be used when they adopt precision agriculture technologies.
 
New technologies and products are constantly entering the marketplace and generating millions of bits of data about farmers’ fields, crops and equipment. A recent survey found that an overwhelming number of farmers do not know what happens to their data when they use these new technologies.
 
The Ag Data Transparency Evaluator was created to help producers understand where their data is going and who has access and control over it. The evaluator requires participating ATPs to answer 10 key questions about their technology products’ use and control of farmer data. A third-party administrator then reviews the answers and determines whether the products meet the standards of transparency set by the Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data (Data Principles). Products that meet the standards will receive the “Ag Data Transparent” seal to be displayed on promotional materials and product pages. Additionally, farmers can go to the Transparency Evaluator website to see and compare all the products and services that have undergone the evaluation. 
 
To learn more, visit www.fb.org/agdatatransparent