"Farmers are mechanically inclined and want to understand the 'how' and the 'why,'" says Haley Harms, founder of independent precision farming company Pro Till. "My goal is to teach the farmer, on his or her own system, to the point that they can troubleshoot in the field, and operate at maximum efficiency, without relying on tech-support for basic issues."

Every agricultural technology provider likes to say that “the farmer owns the data,” but is that really true? This statement hinges on the answer to a central question: is farm data a form of intellectual property that the law protects?

Net sales for the first quarter of 2016 were $70.3 million, down 31.4 percent versus the first quarter of 2015.