The American Soybean Association (ASA) is teaming up with others in the soybean industry to form an Ag Data Working Group to provide input to help inform discussions, decisions and education around the issue.

ASA has invited farmer leaders and staff from ASA, states and the United Soybean Board (USB) to serve on the group.

According to the working group charge/description:

“Ag data is fast becoming a modern agricultural commodity, and the potential benefits of applying Ag Data in the agriculture sector are large. And while many businesses already are collecting data from farmers and/or moving quickly to offer services to farmers based on farmers’ willingness to share their data or pay for services, a number of issues need to be addressed including:

• Ownership of data
• Privacy of the data
• Availability of data
• Compatibility and Interoperability of data
• Quality of data
• Compensation for data
• Managing the data
• Storing the data
• Security of the data
• Cost of software computer needs
• Providing information and education to farmers on all these topics

The Working Group plans to meet exclusively by periodic conference call, the first which is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 5 and will focus on a list of questions surrounding Ag Data that emerged at a meeting on April 10 that was organized by American Farm Bureau and attended by ASA, a number of other commodity groups and agribusiness companies.