An Airbnb for farmland hits a snag, as farmers raise data privacy concerns

Re:An Airbnb for farmland hits a snag, as farmers raise data... by TheMightyLlama on Sunday May 17, 2020 @03:42AM (#23210402)

Data privacy is something that I think isn’t really covered here.

Do the farming equipment companies share data? To be precise do the have the level of fidelity required to know information regarding the size of land when the equipment is in use as well as the toolset in the equipment?

This might conceivably allow equipment companies to sell data to stock market companies who speculate on futures.

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Re:An Airbnb for farmland hits a snag, as farmers raise data... by jelliclesfarm on Sunday May 17, 2020 @01:18PM (#23213441)

Yes. Data is the key. You can’t automate and employ AI without harvesting data. That’s one of the reasons all this is being consolidated. Farmers are too fragmented to act together to generate and provide data that Ag AI/ML needs. There is no need for privacy if the same companies that own and run Everything.

This is what happened with Monsanto. First it was round up and other weedicides. Then they said we will sell you the seeds that is round up ready. And then they convince farmers what to grow and what inputs and fertilizers to buy. And then what to grow and how to much to grow per season. And soon the same investment funds will own the land too.

https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/14150-consolidation-... : this sums it up. It’s a tad dated and more consolidation has happened since.

[..] The five companies currently seeking to combine their business enterprises — Dow + Dupont, Bayer + Monsanto and Syngenta, which is to be acquired by ChemChina — together would hold a 78% stake in the ag chemicals segment of the industry. It could put them in a position to squeeze out the remaining competition.[..]

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