A new data management platform is set to empower its users through greater transparency and control of their farm data.
Revealed at the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC) technical conference it has been developed by TEAM Ag UK in collaboration with AICC.
According to TEAM Ag UK co-founder and CEO Kiryon Skippen, farmers face asymmetrical markets, which means that they don’t have the same access to data and information as larger corporations.
This leads to potential imbalance and exploitation in areas like agronomic decision making, input purchasing, crop marketing, and value capture from non-food producing activities like environmental schemes or carbon selling, which generate additional revenue streams.
In addition, existing digital tools used by farmers, such as Farm Management Information Software (FMIS), often require sensitive data to be shared with the application owner,
TEAM Ag launched a legal review of terms and conditions of current platforms that generate and hold farm data and this revealed that many clauses are unfavourable to farmers.
“It’s a two-way relationship and farmers should be issuing their own terms and conditions on how and where their information or data is used,” added Kiryon.
TEAM Ag’s FIX platform aims to address these problems by developing a farmer-owned, independent, and future-proof platform for managing farm data.
In addition to its overarching data management capability, the firm will offer a range of digital tools to support best practice on farm.
This will create an independent alternative to complement the limited existing range of tools available to UK growers and their advisors.
Core principles
Kiryon said there are three core principles that TEAM Ag UK will apply to its data management and FMIS software.
First, farmers will decide who has access to their data and receive a fair share of the value created by sharing it.
Second, FIX will promote unbiased, scientifically verified best practice, from an industry neutral perspective.
Finally, the platform will facilitate collaboration between the science, agronomy and farming communities and create opportunities for farmers to accelerate innovation in their own interests by working together.
The first iteration of FIX will be launched in the second half of 2025 to allow for extensive consultation with users on the initial features.
The AICC has been working with TEAM Ag UK and will continue to do so. AICC CEO Sarah Cowlrick said the opportunity to support and co-design the digital platform is welcomed
“The focus is on being an independent resource that’s not linked to product sales and the safety of farmers’ data is paramount. We’re delighted to have launched this new platform to members at this year’s AICC conference.”
Essex-based agronomist and AICC chairman Andrew Blazey has 30 years’ experience as an agronomist and like other members, has plenty of experience of evaluating and using FMIS with his clients.
“I believe our sector of the industry is in need of a robust and future proof independent system and I’m confident FIX can deliver on that and I look forward to working closely with them on further development this year.”
