Session Description
Join our discussion on how agricultural data is transformed into information and decision-making through novel approaches for data analysis while managing and maintaining privacy and protection for the farmers and consumers whose data are being utilized. This event builds upon the Agricultural Data Privacy meeting, held in San Antonio in November 2019, which kicked off this broader effort and collaboration.

DESCRIPTION
Why agricultural data?
AGRICULTURE forms the backbone of human survival and well-being. It is one of the largest drivers of natural resource use and impact on the environment. As we have seen during the recent pandemic, our agriculture and food systems are critically important.
DATA are enabling us to better serve everyone from farmers, to consumers, to the environment, creating a world that is sustainable and healthy. Building for the future requires significant shifts in how we digitize and utilize data.
GET INVOLVED
Registration
Registration closes at 5:00PM CT on Sept 18. This event is open to the many people who work in agriculture and food, and those interested in data and innovative research across disciplines:
- Farmers
- Researchers
- Private companies
- NGOs
- Government agencies
- And others!
PREVIEW THE AGENDA
Thursday, September 24, 2020: Data Research and Outcomes |
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Opening remarks (10am CT)
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The “burning platform” - what’s at stake for agriculture and data? (10:30am CT)
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Break (11:00am CT) |
Building sustainability and resilience: the role of data (11:30am CT)
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Integrating data in a private partnership: the case of the PIP consortia for indoor plants (12:00pm CT)
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Break (12:20pm CT) |
Ideation breakouts on key topics (12:35pm and 1:25pm CT)
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Demonstration of innovative applications of data & technologies (2:00pm CT)
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Wrap up & closing remarks (3:00pm CT) |
Virtual Networking (optional, begins at 3:10pm CT) |
Friday, September 25, 2020: Data Privacy and Management |
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Opening & welcome (10am, CT) |
Barriers for access and diversity in ag: overcoming the digital divide (10:10am CT)
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Student poster presentations - see the top 3 finalists present their research (10:35am CT)
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Break (11:15am CT) |
Student poster awards (11:45am CT) |
Data privacy: where’s the benefit? (11:50am CT)
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How industries outside of ag overcome data challenges (12:20pm CT)
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Break (12:50pm CT) |
Demonstration of data and technologies facilitating data management (1:05pm CT)
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Break (1:55pm CT) |
Breakout sessions on critical topics in data usage 2:05pm CT)
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Call to action, next steps & closing remarks (2:40pm CT) |
PARTICIPATE IN THE POSTER COMPETITION (students only)
We are hosting a student competition to showcase early stage ideas and innovation across disciplines. The posters can cover a range of topics, in line with our broad aim for this virtual session ranging the ability to manage data well and fully utilize them across the ag and food value chain (e.g., privacy, interoperability) to innovative applications and uses. VIEW FULL DETAILS.
The competition offers cash awards:
- First prize: $1000
- Second prize: $500
- Third prize: $250
- Honorary mentions: $100
Submissions deadline: Friday, August 14th at 5pm CT.
ATTEND A WEBINAR TO LEARN MORE
We are hosting several webinars to prepare for the September meeting. Webinars will include discussions on topics like agricultural data privacy, how organizations are stepping up to the challenge, what is at stake for farmers, and more. Most webinars are on Thursdays at 11am CT/12pm ET:
- July 30th: Community Call to Action: What do we need to Unlock the Ag Data Revolution? (view recording)
- August 13th: Retrospective on the 2019 Data Privacy Panel (view recording)
- August 27th: Farmers’ Perspectives on Agricultural Data & Decision Making (view recording)
- September 10th: Ag Tech Answering the Farmers’ Needs (view recording)
(Last webinar will take place at 2pm CT/3pm ET)
PARTNERS
This event is organized by a diverse planning committee crossing academia, research and nonprofit sectors: The Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR), Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), OpenTEAM, Purdue OATS alongside the hosts, the Institute for Research in Statistics and its Applications (IRSA), GEMS and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI) at the University of Minnesota.
Read more about the planning committee.
