Big$Data$in$Agriculture$ Dr.$Matt$Darr,$Iowa$State$University$
Precision$Agriculture$is:$ Enhancing$the$ productivity$of$farming$
Precision$Agriculture$is:$ Putting$the$operator$ back$in$control$
Precision$Agriculture$is:$ Facilitating$the$growth$ in$ag$equipment$
Autosteering$Systems:$$ Return$on$Investment$ 3.3%$Planting$Overlap$Error$ Economic$savings$of$$7.89/ac$ 7%$Tillage$Overlap$Error$ Economic$savings$of$$0.96/ac$
Bene9its$of$Precision$Ag$Tools$ Big$Data$in$ag$is$focused$towards$ unlocking$the$economic$potential$ of$improved$management$ decisions.$
What$is$Big$Data?$ Geospatial$Maps$ Yield$ Imagery$ Fertility$ Public$Data$ Soils$ Weather$ Analytics$ Crop$Models$ Data$CoNops$ Markets$
Haven t$growers$used$big$data$for$years?$ Yes,$but$the$ability$to$visualize$and$extract$value$is$increasing$ with$data$analytics$tools.$
How$Big$is$Big?$ The$scale$of$ Big $is$ grower$specitic.$ Some$use$big$data$tools$ to$simply$drive$better$ Tield$by$Tield$decisions.$ Others$use$big$data$ cooperatives$to$make$ broad$improvements$in$ crop$management.$ Big$Data $includes$data$which$is$ at$a$scale$and$complexity$that$ requires$new$tools$and$analytics$ to$extract$value.$$$ $ Big$Data $leverages$cloud$based$ computing$and$connected$ systems$to$extract$knowledge$ that$was$previously$unattainable.$
Big$Data$Field$Example$ 200 Yield Comparison of Two Hybrids in a Side-by-Side Test 176 Hybrid'B' Hybrid'A' Grain Yield (bu/ac) 150 100 50 131 0 Hybrid A Hybrid B
Big$Data$Analytics$Example$
Industry$Leaders$in$Big$Data$
Example:$$Monsanto$FieldScripts$ FieldScripts $integrates$innovations$in$seed$ science,$agronomy,$data$analysis,$precision$ agriculture$equipment$and$service$to$provide$ farmers$with$hybrid$matches$and$a$variable$rate$ planting$prescription$to$improve$corn$yield$ opportunity.$ 40,000+$acres$in$2013.$$Target$for$X00,000+$in$ 2014.$ Currently$$10$per$acre$entry$fee.$$Fee$structure$will$ increase$as$value$increases.$$$ Requires$growers$to$provide$previous$crop$ production$history$and$to$be$integrated$with$ Monsanto$seed$and$precision$ag$equipment.$ Future$industry$projections$of$$20B+$in$total$annual$ revenue.$
Ag$Data$Bank$ Crop$Consultant$ Seed/Fert$Supplier$ Machinery$Supplier$ Insurance$Agent$ Private(Business( Landlord$ Internal$Mng$Team$
Ag$Data$Cooperatives$ Crop$Consultant$ Seed/Fert$Supplier$ Machinery$Supplier$ Insurance$Agent$ Grower(Driven( En2ty( Landlord$ Internal$Mng$Team$ Pooled$Analysis$
Big$Data$Ownership$and$Privacy$ Policy$language$varies$across$service$providers$ Ownership $is$not$the$right$question.$$ Licensing $is$the$more$important$factor$in$ determining$long$term$impact$of$data$ agreements.$ $ National$commodity$and$ag$industry$groups$are$ leading$efforts$to$pressure$standardization$ regarding$licensing$language$and$data$ contracts.$$$ Does$the$landlord$have$any$ownership$rights$to$ ag$data?$$$ If$the$coNop$is$contracted$for$soil$sampling$and$ fertilizer$do$they$have$ownership$rights?$
Big$Data$P$Imagery$ Satellite$Delivered:$ 5m$Resolution$ Timing$can$be$limiting$but$more$options$ are$becoming$available$ Contracted$Flight:$ 1m$Resolution$ Typically$can$schedule$images$within$a$+/N$ 3$day$window$around$target$date$ Unmanned$Aerial$Systems$(UAS)$ ~3$ $10$cm$Resolution$ If$weather$permits$scheduling$can$be$ within$a$few$hours$of$target$time$ Legal$and$Ethical$Questions:$ Do$I$have$exclusive$rights$to$the$airspace$ above$my$crop?$ Can$a$competitor$purchase$yield$estimation$ imagery$on$tields$i$rent$in$order$to$out$bid$ on$land$contracts?$
Questions$to$Ask$the$Big$Data$Provider$ Will$my$data$be$pooled$with$any$other$producers$for$large$scale$data$ analytics?$ If$so,$who$will$have$access$to$this$data?$$Am$I$compensated$for$the$value$of$my$ production$intellectual$property$in$the$development$of$improved$services?$ How$do$you$manage$data$ownership?$ The$majority$of$ bank $providers$will$stress$that$producers$own$there$data.$ Focus$on$the$Tine$print$around$ licensing.$$many$ banks $stipulate$a$perpetual$ royalty$free$license.$$this$means$they$can$use$your$data$for$free$even$if$you$close$ your$account.$ Will$copies$of$my$data$be$retained$within$the$ bank $if$i$close$my$account?$ Who$has$access$to$my$data?$$Can$I$redirect$my$data$to$third$parties$of$my$ choice?$$$ What$type$of$security$protocols$are$in$place$to$protect$against$cyber$hacking$ and$data$piracy?$$how$will$the$ bank $avoid$a$target$incident?$ Is$the$ bank $independent$or$are$they$also$trying$to$provide$agronomic$or$ business$management$services?$
How$Will$Big$Data$Change$Market$Competition?$ Producers:$ Pros:$$More$informed$decisions$ regarding$crop$production$practices.$$ Higher$yields.$$Lower$costs.$ Cons:$$Proprietary$data$analytics$ systems$may$limit$market$access$to$ alternatives.$ Crop$Advisors$and$Service$ Providers:$ Pros:$$New$business$opportunities$ aligned$with$data$ services.$ Cons:$$Risk$of$small$business$ consultant$and$service$providers$ being$pressed$out$of$the$market.$
Big$Data$ $What s$next$ Look$for$rapid$growth$of$data$services$ in$the$next$1$ $2$years.$ $ Current$lack$of$industry$ standardization$will$cause$challenges$ with$producers$truly$having$a$free$ market$for$data$services.$ Winners$in$the$marketplace$will$be$ driven$by$proven$results$of$increased$ farm$protitability$and$integrity$in$data$ management.$$$
Key$Points$ Dr.$Matt$Darr,$Iowa$State$University$ The$Ag$Big$Data$initiative$is$ driven$by$the$grower$value$ proposition$around$better$data$ driven$decisions.$ Producers$should$partner$with$ Data$Banks$that$provide$the$ best$suite$of$benenits$and$ provides$acceptable$licensing$ terms.$$