Power and control in agriculture: farm data rights, fertilizer pricing, and poultry competition
Power and control in agriculture: farm data rights, fertilizer pricing, and poultry competition
A news briefing from Farm Action’s policy team
June 3, 2026
Nebraska stakes out new ground on farm data ownership as other states weigh broader measures
What happened: Nebraska’s statehouse in April became the first state to enact a law giving farmers a right to their agricultural data and barring companies from selling any data they collect without written consent. The Nebraska law provides farmers with ownership over their own agronomic, land, climate, and livestock data they generate, and controllers or processors of that data can only use it for the service they provide, for example maintaining equipment or running diagnostics. Sale of any data requires written consent from the farmer, separate from terms of service agreements.
Lawmakers in Iowa, Missouri, and Colorado have also introduced similar legislation, but Nebraska’s law is the only one that has achieved passage so far.
Source: Agri-Pulse
Why it matters: The Nebraska law is an encouraging step towards farmers having greater ownership over the agricultural data from their operations. Farmers’ data provides important insight into operations on individual farms, and informs important choices like type and quantity of inputs used, timing decisions in planting, and equipment decisions. When the companies that control inputs, equipment, and markets control this data, it can be used against farmers to provide companies market insights and squeeze additional profits out of farmers. Barring the sale of farmers’ data without express consent combats the ability of corporations to be able to use farm-level data to potentially raise prices or otherwise maximize profits based on privileged knowledge of farm operations.
Nebraska’s shift towards a system where farmers have greater control over how their individual data can be used and profited off of provides a promising model for similar farm-data protection laws in other states, as evidenced by proposed legislation in Iowa, Missouri, and Colorado.