The Need for ADT: Transparency, Simplicity and Trust in Ag Data Contracts

It was almost a decade ago when leaders in agriculture got together to talk about how a farm’s ag data was being used. Todd Janzen, ADT Administrator, recalls how three key words came to summarize the need for Ag Data Transparent. “Farm Bureau did a study of farmers’ concerns about how their data was being used as more and more technology reached the farm gate, “ Janzen says. Three key themes emerged:

1) Transparency: In these early days before “putting it in the cloud” was a common phrase, it was not easy to understand where a farm’s data would actually “go” for use and to add value back to the farm. It was “clear as mud” in many cases about how data would be used once it left the farm.

2) Simplicity: Contracts were complicated. Farmers are incredibly busy and it was both tricky and time consuming to understand all the fine print in contracts about data use.

3) Trust: That early data showed that farmers were skeptical about how a company was using, and perhaps profiting from, their private farm information. Farmers wanted to use these new platforms, but were leery about what they were giving up in terms of their data and how it was used.

Fast forward to 2023, and these concerns are more relevant than ever. Farmers are deriving value from using technology that captures their data, but transparency, simplicity, and trust are still essential to the relationship between the ag tech provider and the farmer.

Darcy Herauf, Farm Credit Canada and serves on the ADT Board, explains the important role Ag Data Transparent plays in providing value being transparent with his organization’s customers.