As part of the American Farm Bureau’s industry team behind their Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data, OnFarm is committed to ensuring that our farmers maintain control of their data. As we continue to provide best-in-class data security to our users while engaging in the global dialogue around Big Data, our choices will continue to be guided by a passion for protecting the farmers that are the foundation of everything we do. With them in mind, we helped craft this set of standards to grow by.
Education
We value grower education, in particular to ensure clarity between all parties and stakeholders. We will work with grower organizations to develop programs which will help to create educated customers who understand their rights and responsibilities. We strive to draft contracts using simple, easy to understand language.
Ownership
We believe farmers own information generated on their farming operations. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the farmer to agree on data use and to share it with the other stakeholders with an economic interest, including tenants, landowners, cooperatives, and owners of the precision agriculture system hardware.
Collection, Access and Control
We only consider collection, access and use of farm data granted with the affirmative and explicit consent of the farmer. This is part of our contract agreements (signed or digital).
We notify farmers that their data is being collected and about how the farm data will be disclosed and used. We provide this notice in an easily located and readily accessible format.
Transparency and Consistency
We will always notify farmers about the purposes for which we collect and use farm data. We will provide information about how farmers can contact us with any inquiries or complaints, the types of third parties to which we disclose the data, and the choices we offer for limiting the use and disclosure of your data. We provide this document to make our principles, policies and practices transparent and fully consistent with the terms and conditions in our legal contracts. We will never change a farmer’s contract without their agreement.
Choice
We will explain the abilities to and effects of a farmer’s decision to opt in, opt out or disable the availability of services and features that we offer. When multiple options are offered, farmers can choose some, all, or none of the options offered. We will always provide farmers with a clear understanding of what services and features may or may not be enabled when they are make making choices.
Portability
Within the context of the agreement and retention policy, farmers are able to retrieve their data for storage or use in other systems, with the exception of the data that has been made anonymous or aggregated and is no longer specifically identifiable. We ensure that non-anonymized or non-aggregated data is easy to return to farmers at their discretion.
Terms and Definitions
Farmers will always know that they are contracting with OnFarm, and what that involves in terms of third parties, partners, business partners, or affiliates. We clearly explain the following definitions in a consistent manner in all of our respective agreements: (1) farm data; (2) third party; (3) partner; (4) business partner; (5) ATP partners; (6) affiliate; (7) data account holder; (8) original customer data. We strive to use clear language for their terms, conditions and agreements.
Disclosure, Use and Sale Limitation
We will never sell or disclose non-aggregated farm data to a third party without first securing a legally binding commitment to be bound by the same terms and conditions that we have with the farmer. Farmers will always be notified if such a sale is going to take place and have the option to opt out or have their data removed prior to that sale. We will not share or disclose original farm data with a third party in any manner that is inconsistent with the contract with the farmer. If the agreement with the third party is not the same as the agreement with us, we will present out farmers with the third party’s terms for agreement or rejection.
Data Retention and Availability
We provide for the removal, secure destruction, and return of original farm data from the farmer’s account upon the request of the farmer or after a pre-agreed period of time. We include a requirement that farmers have access to the data that we hold during that data retention period. We document personally identifiable data retention and availability policies and disposal procedures, and specify requirements of data under policies and procedures.
Contract Termination
Farmers are allowed to discontinue a service or halt the collection of data at any time subject to appropriate ongoing obligations. Procedures for termination of services are clearly defined in the contract.
Unlawful or Anti-Competitive Activities
We will never use your data for unlawful or anti-competitive activities.
Liability & Security Safeguards
We clearly define terms of liability. Your farm data is protected with reasonable security safeguards against risks such as loss or unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure, and we have established polices for notification and response in the event of a breach.