Source: US HOUSE AG COMMITTEE, 10/28/15
 
EDITOR'S NOTE: Scroll down for opening statements by committee leadership

Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a public hearing to examine big data and its role in agriculture. While advances in agricultural technology present opportunities like improved productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness, they also present challenges in collecting, managing, and utilizing big data. Members and witnesses discussed these dynamics and the future of agricultural innovation at this morning’s hearing.

“From the cotton gin to refrigeration to Norman Borlaug’s Green Revolution, innovation in American agriculture has paved the way in developing better and more efficient ways to produce food and fiber. Today, big data is profoundly impacting every aspect of agriculture in both positive and challenging ways. Now the question is how to best use, collect, and protect this data. I appreciate today’s panel of witnesses for sharing their expertise in deploying exciting new technology and utilizing the considerable amount of data it produces,” said Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway.

Written testimony provided by the witnesses below.
Witness List:

Panel I
Mr. Blake Hurst, President, Missouri Farm Bureau, Member of the Board of Directors, American Farm Bureau Federation, Tarkio, MO

Mr. Billy Tiller, Director of Business Development and Co-Founder, Grower Information Services Cooperative, Lubbock, TX

Dr. Michael K. Stern, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Climate Corporation and Vice President, Monsanto, San Francisco, CA

Mr. Matt Rushing, Vice President, Product Line, Advanced Technology Solutions, AGCO, Duluth, GA

Dr. Shannon Ferrell, Associate Professor and Faculty Teaching Fellow, Agricultural Law Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Opening Statement by Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson
Big Data and Agriculture: Innovation and Implications

--As Prepared for Delivery--

“Thank you Mr. Chairman and welcome, today’s witnesses, to the Committee. I’m looking forward to your testimony.

“There are a lot of interesting things happening with big data and agriculture. These all have the potential to provide huge benefits to not just farmers, but consumers, and the economy as a whole. 

“Adopting new technologies can make farming more efficient, enabling farmers to make wise use of inputs, which helps to keep costs low. Technology can also help connect farmers with local businesses and consumers, opening up potential new business opportunities.

“Of course, there are concerns about these advances, particularly when it comes to privacy. This is something I think we’re going to need to keep an eye on. I am encouraged that commodity groups and agriculture technology providers have started a productive dialogue. I hope that relationship continues and that we can learn more about these efforts during today’s testimony.

“One final point I think we need to take a look at is rural broadband. All of this technology is great but it’s not going to do anyone any good if they don’t have reliable broadband. We have made a lot of progress but there are still large areas of the countryside that are without reliable service. I hope we can continue to work with USDA to continue our efforts in this area.

“So again, I think there are a lot of interesting points for us to discuss today. I thank our witnesses for appearing before the Committee and yield back.”

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway
Committee on Agriculture Hearing: Big Data and Agriculture: Innovation and Implications

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

Information technology is profoundly impacting every aspect of our lives.

In so many ways, this is a good thing. But, as anyone who’s had their identity stolen can tell you, it is not without its downsides.

The same, of course, is true in the case of production agriculture.

As we have learned in previous hearings, foreign countries do a lot to give their producers a leg-up over their competitors. As a few examples, along with lower worker, consumer, and environmental standards, we have witnessed other countries manipulate their currencies, set up state trading enterprises, use subsidies, tariffs, and other non-tariff barriers in order to gain the upper hand.

But, we, too, have some distinct advantages going for us. Some, like our infrastructure, are tangible and easy to see while others, like a strong rule of law and a great entrepreneurial spirit, are usually just taken for granted.

But every now and again, a game-changer comes along. And we in America have had an excellent track record of inventing them and using them early to our great advantage. This record has helped keep America’s farmers and ranchers out in front of the pack.

The United States has led the way in several major agricultural game changers, including the moldboard plow, the cotton gin, refrigeration, and the Green Revolution.

Not long ago, we celebrated the addition of Norman Borlaug’s statute in the Capitol. Of course, Borlaug’s “Green Revolution” was a huge game changer, introducing innovations that have saved billions of lives. Thanks to Borlaug, we are well positioned to be able to feed the 9 billion people who will soon inhabit our planet and we will meet this challenge using far fewer natural resources and inputs. 

Today, many believe that information technology – or Big Data as it has been called – is the next big game changer for agriculture. Thanks to significant investments in precision agriculture technology by those companies represented here today, as well as countless others, producers now have more information about their farms at their fingertips than ever before.

Big Data has what seems like a boundless potential to improve the efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness of our nation’s farmers and ranchers while conserving natural resources and benefitting the environment.

In fact, the benefits of Big Data have already been paying off as we will hear about today.

But, at least one of the reasons why potential benefits have not yet been fully realized is because farmers and ranchers are getting lots of information from lots of different places. Getting all of this information into one place where it can be easily accessed and used is critically important. And I am very pleased that Billy Tiller, who is from my part of the country, is here to talk about this impediment and how he and other farmers are working to find farmer-friendly solutions in overcoming it.

Beyond practical considerations, however, is the important question of how to protect producer privacy and private property rights.

Thankfully, the law protects the privacy of most producer information that USDA gathers. But that, of course, does not cover information gathered by private entities. This has enormous implications that can, among other things, affect the commodities market, land values, and how farm policies operate, and potentially expose producers to frivolous and costly environmental litigation.

My hope is that the Committee and our exceptional panel of witnesses will fully explore these and, perhaps, other relevant issues.

But, in closing, I want to go back to what I think is a central point, and that is the fact that this is the farmer’s information. And, as such, the farmer should own or, at bare minimum, control information about his operation.

If we can achieve this important principle, I think we go a long way in ensuring that American agriculture harnesses the power of Big Data.

I would now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Peterson, for any comments he wishes to make.