Senator Ricketts Proposes Federal Law Modeling Nebraska Data Protection for Farmers

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts introduced a proposal to protect data generated by farmers’ connected equipment, which is modeled after Nebraska state law. Ricketts stated that implement dealers and other collectors would need written permission from producers before collecting this information. Separately, Ricketts noted that a Senate vote on the farm bill is unlikely before the midterm elections, though the committee advanced the measure on September 16.

The farm bill includes a provision allowing year-round sales of, which is a priority for Nebraska’s ethanol and corn industries. The data protection proposal could change how agricultural technology companies operate and manage information collected from producers.