Ag Connections’ Data and Privacy Policy seeks to complement and reinforce its trusted relationship with growers. As a result, our Data and Privacy Policy is guided by four simple principles:
Grower data is the property of the grower.
Ag Connections only uses the data to support the grower, and as authorized by the grower.
Ag Connections only shares grower data as requested or authorized by the grower.
Ag Connections does not analyze, aggregate, or data mine grower data unless requested or authorized by the grower.
Ag Connections’ Collection of Grower Information
To provide services to growers, Ag Connections maintains grower-provided personal information, such as the grower/farm entity name, address, company ID, contact information, like telephone number(s)/ e-mail addresses, and computer log-in/password to Ag Connections’ software tools. Growers may also provide farm data relating to its farming activities, such as crops planted and acreage, application rates/dates/costs for certain agricultural products, and geo-referenced field locations. For some service offerings, either from Ag Connections, or from third parties having crop and/or market specific marketing programs for growers (for example, product incentive programs or sustainability programs), growers may also elect to provide additional farm data like soil characteristics, crop rotation and management, crop inputs, transportation, and drying. All of this data is the property of the grower.
In providing its services to growers, and to insure the integrity of its systems, Ag Connections utilizes standard software tools to track and monitor user interaction and use of the Ag Connections software, as well as customer support phone calls and on-line technical support.
To enhance the User experience, Ag Connections may from time to time give access to the database and the data to third-party providers of system support and revisions. This access will be only for upgrades and enhancement of the database for the Growers use. These third party providers will be contractually bound not to share any data nor acquire any ownership in the data that may be accessed in making the enhancements to the system.
Ag Connections Use of Grower Information
Ag Connections maintains grower personal information and farm data to provide the data storage services, either directly to growers, or indirectly to growers through third parties having crop and/or market specific marketing programs for growers. Ag Connections may access such data to provide customer service assistance relating to its services, for example, if a grower needs assistance during a support call. If specifically requested or authorized by the grower, Ag Connections may also provide analysis, aggregation, and data mining for a grower, but will not do so without such grower request or authorization. Ag Connections may also use the grower information to communicate with the growers, for example to provide information regarding Ag Connections’ software tools, software updates, and product announcements. Ag Connections does NOT sell or disclose grower information to unauthorized third parties for marketing purposes.
Sharing Grower Information
Ag Connections has built its reputation as a valued partner of growers through its protection of grower data. Accordingly, Ag Connections allows the growers to decide what information is shared, and Ag Connections will not disclose grower data outside of Ag Connections except as authorized by the grower or its designee. Such authorization may be provided in a written request from the grower to Ag Connections to provide grower data to a third party, by the grower using grower data export functionality in the Ag Connections software tools, or as provided in a separate grower contractual agreement or partnership. For example, some growers may authorize third party companies having crop and/or market specific marketing programs for growers to receive grower data as a part of offers or programs of the third party, and allow unlimited use of such data. Additionally, some growers may authorize third parties to receive farm data for aggregation, analysis, and/or processing, for example, as part of a sustainability program. In either case, Ag Connections will provide such third parties with the grower data only as authorized by the grower.
Security of Grower Information
Ag Connections implements a number of security features and processes to protect grower data from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. Ag Connections stores grower data on secure servers, with controlled access both to the facilities and the data. Access to grower data, on the user side, is further protected by use of controlled access via user log in and password. While Ag Connections strives to ensure no unauthorized access, disclosure, or use of grower data occurs, in that unlikely event, Ag Connections will immediately seek to minimize and address the issue, and the affected grower(s) will be notified by Ag Connections or the third parties offering the crop and/or market specific marketing programs directly to growers. Using the grower-specific log-in and password, the growers also have the ability to access and edit their information through the software tools made available to the grower.
How can you exercise your rights in relation to your Personal Information?
We strive to maintain a high level of transparency about the data we process. As regards our processing of your Personal Information described in this Statement, you have the following rights:
To confirm AgConnections is processing your Personal Information, to get access to or receive a copy of the Personal Information we may have about you;
To require us to rectify or update any inaccurate Personal Information, or complete any incomplete Personal Information;
To require us to delete or erase your Personal Information;
To restrict our processing of your Personal Information;
To require us to transmit certain of your Personal Information to you or to transfer or have the information transferred to another data controller (data portability); and
To require that we stop processing your Personal Information for direct marketing purposes. Subject to other legitimate interests which we may be able to rely on (e.g. in the context of legal claims pending or threatened against us), we will then no longer be allowed to process your Personal Information
We will respond to your reasonably specified request as quickly as possible after validating the request.
We will without undue delay modify your Personal Information if we agree that it is either inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, after taking into account the purposes for which it was collected. If we correct it and had previously disclosed it to a third party, we will also notify that third party if required to by law.
If we disagree with your request to correct your Personal Information, we will explain the reason for refusal and the ways you can complain.
The most current version of Ag Connections’ Data and Privacy Policy will be made available on Ag Connections’ website listed above, and will note the date of the most recent update. We encourage our growers to periodically review Ag Connections’ Data and Privacy Policy to stay informed of Ag Connections’ efforts to protect grower data.
