The big questions for the emerging Big Data era in agriculture will be resolved in the next couple of years, a panel of experts said on Tuesday, although none suggested the likely results. Big Data marries the technology of sensors such as yield monitors, auto-steer equipment and variable-rate applicators with detailed knowledge of discrete pieces of cropland – as small as a sheet of plywood – while operating on a large scale. It can be combined with weather and marketing information.
At its best, Big Data offers improved productivity, reduced risk and increased sustainability. “The potential gains out there are world changing,” said Professor Barry Goodwin of North Carolina State University. But growers wonder who will profit from information generated on their farms and who will have access to it. “Data privacy and control is going to be a big issue as we go forward,” said Bob Young of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Said Ted Crosbie of Monsanto Co, “Right now, it’s the Wild West.”
JB Penn, chief economist of Deere and Co, said competitors in Big Data are sorting out what services to offer, the equipment to use and the technology to analyze the huge amounts of data that can be generated. “A lot of competitive juices, a lot of bets about how the future will unfold,” said Penn. “It won’t be long before we know. This is innovation.” Crosbie concurred. Deere and Monsanto are two of the largest and best-established entrants in Big Data.
Two Agriculture Department officials said Big Data may be a source of information for public data, such as crop forecasts. Budget cuts constrained USDA statistical reporting in the past couple of years and response rates are falling for surveys. “I think we can figure out how to work together,” said Mary Bohman, head of USDA’s Economic Research Service. The officials said USDA works with larger units of land, such as the county level. “I don’t think we could ingest as much information as you can produce,” said Mark Harris, head of the Agricultural Statistics Board.
The discussion was organized by the nonprofit Council on Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics.