EFFINGHAM, Ill. — Independent Data Management (IDM) announced that its MyAgData acreage reporting service, which shortens the time required to report and verify acreage for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program participation, has received the first Ag Data Transparent seal. This seal was awarded through the successful completion of the Ag Data Transparency Evaluator contract review, a program created by a coalition of major farm organizations, commodity groups and agriculture technology providers to help growers understand where their farm data is going and who has access and control over it.

In order to receive the Ag Data Transparent seal, IDM was required to answer a series of questions regarding the manner in which a grower’s data would be used with the MyAgData application. This series of questions is intended to verify that the contracts and privacy policies set forth by participating companies align with their practices surrounding the use of a grower’s data.

The MyAgData application is utilized by crop insurance agents through their approved insurance providers (AIPs) for use in acreage reporting required by the USDA to satisfy obligations for crop insurance and farm service agency (FSA) program participation. In addition to adhering to data transparency guidelines, the benefits of MyAgData include:

• Efficiency – The cloud-based application can be utilized 24/7 when it's convenient for the user
• Speed – Field data is delivered directly to FSA and AIP offices prior to a grower’s visit, enabling a simple verification of the reported data instead of the traditional, time-consuming process of manually outlining field boundaries on a map
• Auditory compliance – Acreage reports generated using the third-party MyAgData system are fully auditable as the reports are un-editable once they’ve been submitted
• Cost-effectiveness – The MyAgData service is available at an affordable seasonal rate

“At IDM we strongly believe that growers should have a thorough understanding of the manner in which their field data will be used,” said Deb Casurella, president and general manager of IDM. “We are proud to be the first precision ag company to receive the Ag Data Transparent seal and intend to continue our honest approach to the use of a grower’s data through our MyAgData application.”

IDM’s responses to the questions included in the Ag Data Transparency Evaluator can be viewed at www.fb.org/agdatatransparent.