Guide to
Data Ownership
for Farmers
A How-To Guide from Continuum Ag
Beneath the surface of any successful business,
there are thousands of decisions being made every single day, all of which rely on data in some way. Farming is no exception.
Data is the language of the powerholders.
—Jodi Peterson
Even though “data” has become a buzzword for digitized measurements, metrics, and pieces of information — the reality is that data is any meaningful insight that can be used to make business decisions more effectively.
For farmers, data applies to any information that might be useful in evaluating your profitability.
Fertilizer
What kind, what amount, how often
Pesticides
Which pests, application protocols
Irrigation
How frequently, prevailing local conditions, weather patterns
Hard Costs
Payroll, equipment, maintenance, fuels
Business Costs
buyer agreements, commissions, market rates and fluctuations
Crop Yield
Performance measured field by field, seasonally, year over year, and more
… the list goes on and on, and it’s different for everyone… but the most important thing to know about data is that
Data = Dollars
Understanding Your Data’s Value
Working with data is a lot like trying to ace an exam in school. You could show up to every lecture, but if you don’t take any notes, you have no data to study before the big test. But what if you had a friend who took tons of notes? You’d probably be willing to pay for their data, right?
That’s how it works with farming. Your data tells a story of what works and what doesn’t for any specific crop, in any location, under a specific set of conditions. Would you give that information away to someone else for free? Of course not. You’ve worked hard to learn what that data could tell you about your business.
How Carbon Intensity Makes Data Pay Off
The common perception most farmers have is that their farm data really only matters to the farm itself. It’s not really “useful” to other farmers. But that’s not the only group out there interested in your data.
Thanks to a number of different tax credits, ethanol producers and other companies are looking upstream to farmers to see how they can reduce their carbon footprints.
- Ethanol producers wanting to take advantage of 45z tax credits for low carbon intensity (CI) biofuel can maximize their incentives by starting with low CI corn or biomass.
- Farmers who can certify their crops as low CI can ask for a premium, because it creates a new profit opportunity for ethanol producers.
Why Data Ownership Matters
So, understanding that you’ve worked hard to gather your farm data, and knowing that there’s a market for monetizing that data… do you really want someone else to be in control of CI data that belongs to you?
Let’s examine the options farmers actually have:
An ethanol company or an agent offers to collect and analyze CI data for you
The upside:
You don’t have to do this task, and it doesn’t cost you any time or money to set it up.
The downside:
You likely no longer own this data. The company does, and that company can do with it what they want and compensate you to the manner of their choosing.
The other downside:
This company doesn’t just end up with CI data; they now also have data about your farm, and they can use it however they want. You also can’t take your data to other companies, agents, or buyers to shop better prices, because that data isn’t yours to use freely as you wish.
An independent provider certifies your CI data.
The upside:
Your data remains 100% yours. The independent provider simply verifies that your data is correct and accurate based on accepted models for calculating CI scores.
The additional upside:
Truly independent certifiers often provide a platform, like TopSoil® from Continuum Ag. In exchange for a small fee (typically based on acreage), farmers can get started with data collection in a simple, streamlined process, all while still owning their own data.
The downside:
While the costs of working with an independent provider are relatively low, they are not free like they would be when someone else takes ownership of farm data. However, most farmers find that the flexibility to shop multiple buyers and find the best price for their low CI crop far outweighs any expense.
How to Turn Your CI Data Into Dollars
All farmers who want to maximize profitability through growing and selling low CI crops will need data to back up their scores. Verified CI Scores are the best ways to ensure you’re getting the best possible price for every point lower your score is than the traditional default.
For farms in particular, Low CI practices can also be more profitable and resilient than traditional methods even if you never sell your crops to biofuel producers. And just like the credits stack, you can decide to devote certain fields or portions of acreage towards Low CI opportunities and stick with traditional methods for the rest of your farm. You can take advantage of both as best fits your needs.
Getting Started
The TopSoil® Platform is an excellent place to begin. The software collects all the information necessary as part of the GREET model, which then allows you to receive a rock-solid CI Score you can use in negotiating prices or pursuing other incentives.
Even better, TopSoil® allows you to see the impacts certain practices make field by field, or variable by variable, so you can know which Low CI actions are yielding the best results on your farm. You’ll also get the expert support of the Continuum Ag team to help you maximize your results both on the field and on your bottom line.
Best of all – your data remains 100% owned by you. You can leverage your CI score with any buyer, agent, or biofuel company you want.
Find Out Your Current CI Score Today.
It takes less than 15 minutes and costs only $25.
Certification, consulting, and support are then available at peracre pricing depending on the size of your farm, or the fields you wish to enhance.
Visit us at
https://continuum.ag/carbon-intensity/ci-certification
Or give us a call at 855-805-5700