b'conditions. The sophisticatednot have the time to look at camera technology presentevery field every week, but if on drones and satellites allowsyou can tell them where are the us to capture high-resolutionfields that are at the most risk, imaging and data at specificWith 20% of the data informing 80% of our decisions,you can really help direct them wavelengths, which allowsto the right fields and the right us to determine the physicalwill more data actually be helpful?places in those fields to make state of the crop. The imaging Bob Gunzenhauser their scouting time very, very can be used almost instan- valuable.taneously to pinpoint prob-lematic areas and anticipatePrescriptive Modelingchanges to soil conditionsThe Climate Corporation and and plant threats before theyproviding data-based tech- Some growers, along withGranular are both making a occur. Ultimately, growers andnologies and services. Eachtheir agronomic advisors, haveshift into modeling and data their advisors can use col- company offers tools andbeen collecting data for 20+analysis to reduce the time lected data to determine thedata collection procedures.years. The challenge is how toand effort farmers need to proper action to take, whichHowever, it is the responsibilityuse that data to drive deci- spend to take advantage of actions have been effectiveof the farmers signing thesesions. We help them bring allall the data available for their in producing higher, moredata contracts to understandof their data into one place tooperation. For example, the sustainable yields. and know their privacy rightswhere we can actually start toyield maps generated by the Each year, it is possibleconcerning data sharing, own- ask the data-based questionsfirst generation of harvest for growers to accumulateership, and how and who canand get some response back. yield monitors in the 1990s hundreds of new data pointsuse it. As the industry movesIn the 1990s, as satellitesare now fully digitized and for each acre in their opera- down the path of digitizingwith multispectral field imag- linked with other data sets. tion. Managing, storing andagriculture in all its variousing capabilities became moreThis information is accessible analyzing the data to pro- forms, we are resolving somewidespread, some growersfor modeling by their consult-duce informed decisions canof these questions, but therewere provided daily crop con- ants and trusted advisors. become a massive, over- is a lot more to come as thedition reports and field maps.Together, these data sources whelming challenge. It is notindustry matures in the realmAfter accumulating thesecan provide a flood of data uncommon for farm operatorsof digital ag. maps for several years, thewhen in its raw form does not to contract with third-partyKyle King, a Climate Corp.farmers had an overwhelmingalways yield an overwhelm-analysts to provide datacrop advisor, notes that farm- amount of field data.ing amount of information. analytic services. Data controlers have traditionally doneKen OBrien, Granular areaTogether, these data sourceswho owns that informationa fantastic job year in anddistrict sales manager, recallscan provide a flood of data and what privacy rights theyear out to make the besthow they refined the imagesthat in its raw form does not farmer hasare increasinglydecisions, to make the mostprovided to growers.always yield an overwhelming important concerns.bushels, and to make the mostIt sounded great, but weamount of information.Most major companiesprofit and return in a sustain- quickly realized that near-dailyAs we think about work-have terms and conditionsable way.imagery across a growersing on disease recognition via regarding grower data, saysThe demands put on ourentire operation producedremote sensing and disease John Fulton, associate profes- farmer customers from amore images than a farmermodeling analysis, it really sor, Ohio State University. It isconsumer standpoint are notcould use, he says. Westarts with farmers having frequently stated that farmersslowing, nor are they goingneeded to have a process thatgood data in their account: own the data, but one mustto slow, he says. Growerswould sort through all thosegood planting data, good har-understand who has access towant to know how they canimages and tell a grower whichvest data, and good soil data, the data? Growers are enter- do more with less, how to befields they need to inspect andKing says. The more data they ing into legal agreements withmost efficient with the toolswhere areas those fields needhave, the better our models a number of companies todayand resources they have.to be inspected. Farmers docan be predictive in helping DECEMBER 2019SEEDWORLD.COM /31'