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Pillen urges lawmakers to pass farm data ownership bill

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen says ag data privacy remains a priority.

During his state of the state address Thursday, he said legislation that has been proposed would ensure that farmers and ranchers own the information collected on their operations. “The data about what they grow, when they plant, when they fertilize, how much they irrigate, and all the other work that goes into helping to feed the world. I believe that Nebraska’s family farmers own that data – and we’re going to defend our producers from any misguided entity with other ideas.”

Legislative Bill 525, introduced by Senator Mike Jacobsen, would protect the data from being sold to other companies or foreign entities. Pillen is asking lawmakers to take up the legislation this session and pass it.

In a previous interview with Brownfield, the Nebraska Farm Bureau said there are several issues to work through and any regulations will need flexibility and balance.