Purdue University announced today that it has joined the Agricultural Data Coalition (ADC), a group recently formed to build a national repository where farmers can safely store and manage their farm's production information.

Farmers collect valuable statistics every time they pass through their fields, and that data will be key to fueling future innovation and helping growers drive efficiency on their own farms. But its full potential has not been realized because of hurdles to housing and transmitting information in a uniform and usable way.

"As the amount of data collected on farms grows exponentially, farmers and their service providers are transforming how data is captured, analyzed and utilized to make decisions or recommendations," said Joe Anderson, head of the Department of Agronomy, in a statement announcing Purdue's participation in the Agricultural Data Coalition. "ADC is focused on giving farmers the tools needed to maximize their asset's value."

Once the repository is built, farmers will be able to upload information and manage who has access to it through the equivalent of an online banking system. The ADC will then securely transmit the data to whomever the farmer instructs - whether they be researchers, insurance agents, government officials, farm managers, input providers or any trusted advisor.

"We are proud to be at the forefront of an effort that will have such a profound impact on Indiana's agricultural community," said Bruce Erickson, Agronomy Education Distance and Outreach Director, who will coordinate activities for Purdue in this venture. "We have seen how data analytics has transformed other industries. There has been good progress made in agriculture, but the opportunities are immense."

Other ADC participants include: AGCO, American Farm Bureau Federation, Auburn University, CNH Industrial, Crop IMS, Mississippi State University, The Ohio State University, Raven Industries, Topcon Positioning Group and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"ADC boasts the who's who of agriculture, which is important to making sure the repository is built in a way that will be most useful to farmers," said Matt Bechdol, ADC's interim executive director. "We're proud to have Purdue as a member and, as a proud Boilermaker myself, I look forward to working closely with them during this exciting time."

Dealers and farmers interested in learning more about data collection, and organizations interested in joining ADC's efforts, should visit AgDataCoalition.org.