New technologies enable farmers to collect and analyze unprecedented amounts of information about their own operations. Additionally, an increasing number of "Big Data" tools allow producers to aggregate information across hundreds and even thousands of operations to evaluate trends and benchmark performance. This project helped farmers identify data management tools at both the farm (i.e. precision agriculture) and aggregate (i.e. "Big Data") levels that can aid risk management for their operations, demonstrate how those tools can be used for risk management, and assist farmers in identifying and managing the potential risks in participating in big data systems.
A series of online modules with written materials and videos has been prepared, with modules building upon each other: how is agricultural data collected, aggregated, and analyzed; how can producers evaluate the economics of data technologies; how can data be used to manage risk; how can farmers protect their data (and can it be owned), and how to create a whole-farm data plan. The project materials were presented via live workshops, webinars, and self-directed online modules. The project also created a website to house project materials.