Big Data and the Farm

A farm near Klingerstown, Pa.

Imagine a world where seeds are automatically planted and crops email you when they need water. That world is already possible and the technologies behind it are gaining popularity.

In the past few years, the larger agribusiness companies, such as Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer, started offering data analysis and prescriptive planting solutions to farmers. Their goal is to increase annual yield on the same amount of land by changing planting practices.

Some farmers use planters equipped with GPS that automatically steer themselves in a straight line, while monitoring their progress on iPads. Tools attached to tractors already collect data about their land, which can then be analyzed and used to plan for the following planting season. This process of analysis can be daunting with data about hundreds of acres of land.

Seed companies see the potential in this data and are encouraging farmers to upload it to their servers. The companies analyze the soil conditions, current seeding rates, past crop yields and other measurements. A custom planning map is created, based on the data. The map is then uploaded to a planter, which can precisely plant seed at different depths and rates, depending on its location on the map.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the technology could increase the 2014 corn harvest from an average of 160 bushels to 200. That would equal an extra $182 in revenue per acre, up from $759.

Like all great movements and advancements in technology, prescriptive planting is not without risks and controversy. Farm advocacy groups are trying to figure out what big data means for agriculture. Common fears are that private data from farms could be exploited by government agencies, sold to commodity corporations or even get stolen by agriculture activists.

In addition, farmers are worried that having access to “real time yield data” around harvest time will cause speculation in the commodities markets, before the government issues official crop-production estimates.

“We’re signing up for things without knowing what we’re giving up,” Mark Nelson, director of commodities at the Kansas Farm Bureau, said.

The American Farm Bureau, which is the nation’s largest farming organization, is leading the debate about big data. In a Farm Industry News article, Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau expressed his concerns and brought up the question of who owns farm data in the first place.

“Proprietary data collected from individual farms is valuable and should remain the property of the farmer,” Stallman said. “As innovation and technology using this data expand to provide farmers new management tools, protecting the privacy of this data is paramount.”

In addition to farmers and industry leaders, Congress is joining the conversation about big data in the agriculture industry.

“Information and data utilization is the way of the future,” Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a republican from Kansas, said. “And just as our federal government struggles with privacy concerns through records at the NSA and various health records, so too must we maintain appropriate privacy protection of individuals from corporate entitles.”

The field of agriculture is rapidly changing and blending with technology. There are many sides of the story to consider.

What is your opinion about agriculture and big data?

Soybean seed to be sold by count

As soybean seed prices increase, so has the switch to sell seed by the count.

Both Syngenta and Monsanto recently announced that they will sell all of their soybean seed by the count for the 2011 growing season – moving away from selling seed by the pound.

When selling by weight, farmers do not know how many seeds are in a bag. And, with soybean seed becoming more expensive, it is important for farmers to not buy more than they need. Selling seed by the count allows them to make better business decisions.

Corn has been sold by the seed count for nearly 45 years.

Beginning in 2011, Syngenta will sell its soybeans based on 140,000 seeds per unit in all packaging types. Most of the bags will weigh between 40 to 60 pounds with a maximum weight limit of 63.6 pounds.

“The move to sell by seed count helps farmers determine costs and will create more accurate orders,” said Doug Tigges, Syngenta Seeds soybean product manager. “That would allow for better management of inventory and could reduce the amount of returns for the company.”

Monsanto’s United States Soybean Product Management Lead, Jennifer Ralston, agrees, “The farmers like it,” she said in a Missouri Farmer Today article.

Monsanto started selling by count in 2009 and required seed companies to sell its Roundup Ready to Yield soybeans in 140,000 seed units. In 2011, they will sell all of their soybean seeds by count.

For farmers and seed companies, selling by count seems to be a win-win situation.

According to the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), the National Conference on Weights and Measures recently passed a vote to standardize testing methods and procedures to verify seed count labeling, which will positively impact farmers and seed companies.

"The manner in which seed is purchased and sold has significantly changed in recent years and this vote will help provide regulatory uniformity for seed testing," said Andy LaVigne, ASTA president and chief executive officer. “It will have a positive impact on seed companies’ and farmers’ bottom-lines.”

As the benefits to selling soybean seeds by the count continue to outweigh those by weight, it will be interesting to see what other seed companies will follow in Syngenta and Monsanto’s footsteps.

Photo obtained from: www.missourifarmertoday.com.