By Blake Jackson
Managing the growing volume of digital information generated by agricultural operations requires careful planning, according to Katelyn Goldsmith, Dairy Outreach Specialist, and John Shutske, Agricultural Safety & Health Specialist, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Organizing and protecting farm records can help producers make informed business decisions, preserve valuable information and maintain access to essential documents.
Modern farms generate data through yield monitors, geographic information systems (GIS), drone imagery, livestock health trackers, robotic milking systems, and precision agriculture technologies.
Financial records, invoices, nutrient management reports, photographs and production histories also contribute to the growing volume of information that must be stored and managed.
Research conducted by UW researchers in 2019 estimated that a typical dairy operation generated approximately 73 megabytes of production-related data per cow annually. For a 1,000-cow herd, that amounts to about 73 gigabytes each year.
Precision crop production can also generate substantial data, with 1,000 acres potentially producing more than 20 gigabytes annually.
Goldsmith and Shutske emphasize that protecting this information is increasingly important as agricultural businesses rely more heavily on digital tools. Research has identified data security and privacy as significant barriers to technology adoption.
Lost or compromised records can affect financial planning, production decisions, and the valuation of agricultural land. Historical yield, input and management records can also help landowners and farmers evaluate property value and farming practices.
To reduce the risk of data loss, producers can follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy recommended by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This approach involves maintaining three copies of important files, storing them on two different types of media, and keeping one copy at a separate location. The strategy helps protect information against equipment failures, theft, and unexpected disasters.
Cloud storage offers another option for securing farm records. Services such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and IDrive allow users to access files across connected devices. Before selecting a provider, farmers should compare pricing, encryption, recovery options, backup capabilities and data-sharing policies.
Reliable internet access is also important for transferring large files and maintaining cloud backups.
Organizing files and folders consistently can further improve efficiency. Producers should establish a logical folder structure, use descriptive file names, and adopt consistent naming conventions so employees can locate information quickly.
Regularly reviewing stored files and removing unnecessary duplicates can also make records easier to manage.
As agricultural technology continues to advance, developing a reliable data-management system can help farming businesses protect sensitive information, improve operational efficiency, and preserve important records for future decisions.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-peopleimages
Categories: Wisconsin, Livestock, Dairy Cattle