March 18, 2016

When Will Tesla's Electricity Come to the Farm?

March 18, 2016/ Todd Janzen

Tesla is revolutionizing the automotive industry. My new office is near a Tesla store so I frequently see the Tesla Model S driving by. For those not acquainted with Tesla, the company builds all-electric cars that have a range of over 250 miles per charge. No complicated hybrid drive. No gas required, ever. I keep wondering when Tesla will step into other markets and more importantly, will agriculture be one of them? This post explores whether the “all-electric” philosophy would work on the farm.

March 03, 2016

The Ag Data Transparency Evaluator

March 03, 2016/ Todd Janzen

The problems farmers have with embracing farm data programs are well documented, but I think it comes down to three things: trust, time, and complexity. Trust--many farmers don't know what happens to their data after they send it to an ag technology provider (ATP). Time--farmers are already busy. Who has time to read detailed privacy policies and data license agreements. Complexity--farm data contracts are different than normal farm contracts.

February 20, 2016

Do Farmers Need Legislation to Protect Their Ag Data?

February 20, 2016/ Todd Janzen

Federal legislation often arrives in areas where state laws are so inconsistent that citizens or industries demand uniformity. We have seen this over and over in the history of the United States. For example, we are seeing inconsistent GMO labeling laws prompt a push for a national GMO labeling standard (Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act). GMO proponents would not normally want mandatory labeling, but a patchwork quilt state-regulatory system is much worse. Will the same issues arise with agricultural data?

January 30, 2016

How a 1940's Chicken Farmer Case Answered: Who Owns the Sky?

January 30, 2016/ Todd Janzen

Who owns the air above your farm? Although UAVs have caused many people to ask this question recently, the United States Supreme Court addressed this issue way back in 1946. This post tells the story of chicken farmer that sued the US government because military aircraft were "trespassing" on the airspace above his property.

January 15, 2016

What Makes Ag Data "Ownership" Unique

January 15, 2016/ Todd Janzen

The concept of ag data “ownership” is not recognized by United States law. Farmers like to say “I own my ag data.” Ag technology companies like to say “the farmer owns their data.” And the industry representatives like to say “the farmer should own their data.” But the reality is that “ownership” is a legal principle that must be recognized by courts or a law, and that has not happened yet in the United States.

December 28, 2015

Janzen Ag Law's Year in Reverse

December 28, 2015/ Todd Janzen

As 2015 comes to end, here is a look back at the top five stories from the Janzen Ag Law blog over the past year.

December 12, 2015

The Janzen Ag Law Blog 3.0

December 12, 2015/ Todd Janzen

Five years after I started the Janzen Ag Law Blog, I decided it was time to take a look back at what led to this point. This post looks at the evolution of the blog.

November 22, 2015

Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data

November 22, 2015/ Todd Janzen

It has been nearly a year since American Farm Bureau Federation led a consortium of interested ag technology providers (ATPs) and industry stakeholders in an effort to bring some standards to the growing ag data field. I thought it was worth taking another look at the result of these efforts, the Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data.

November 03, 2015

House Ag Committee Holds Hearings on Farm Data

November 03, 2015/ Todd Janzen

The US House Ag Committee recently held hearings on farm data issues, including privacy, security, use and control.

October 28, 2015

Four Takeaways from the Ag Data Platforms Conference

October 28, 2015/ Todd Janzen

I recently attended the Precision Ag Data Platforms conference in Champaign, Illinois. Here are my reflections on the state of the ag data platforms industry.

October 24, 2015

My Top 10 Farm Data Posts

October 24, 2015/ Todd Janzen

This recaps ten of my most popular posts about the legal issues surrounding farm data.

October 16, 2015

FAA Issues $1.9M Fine Against Drone Operator

October 16, 2015/ Todd Janzen

On October 6, 2015 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an enforcement letter to SkyPan International, Inc. assessing a $1.9 million dollar civil penalty for flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) without permission.

October 02, 2015

Does Your Lease Address Farm Data?

October 02, 2015/ Todd Janzen

I've drafted and reviewed dozens of farmland leases over the years, but I've yet to see a lease that addresses the issues associated with ownership and transfer of farm data. As farmers embrace new data storage and analytic tools, it’s time to modernize the traditional farm lease to address farm data.

September 30, 2015

Is Farm Data a Trade Secret?

September 30, 2015/ Todd Janzen

Is a farmer's farm data their trade secret? Is is protected under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act?

September 30, 2015

Ag's Junk Data Problem

September 30, 2015/ Todd Janzen

The rise of farm data collection programs in the last year has been amazing to watch, but I keep wondering whether some ag technology providers are collecting data regardless of its usefulness.

April 23, 2015

Does Your Co-op Own Your Farm Data?

April 23, 2015/ Todd Janzen

Recently I was asked this question: When a farm cooperative (a “co-op”) does work for a farmer and in the process generates agronomic data, does the co-op own that data or does the farmer? Many in the ag industry like to say “the farmer owns the data,” but the co-op’s generation of farm data presents a more complicated problem.

More Janzen Ag Law Blog Articles

July 24, 2026

Real Property Law at 250: Where do we go next?

July 24, 2026

As America turns 250, it is time to revisit whether our system for owning and conveying real property is ready for the next century.

July 24, 2026

April 27, 2026

Should Your Farm Sign a Carbon Contract?

April 27, 2026

USDA may have pulled the plug on the Climate Smart Commodities grants that were funding many climate change programs, but there are still a number of private industry offerings on the market. How can you sort through the various programs to pick one that is right for your farm?

April 27, 2026