Agricultural Data Privacy Bill Passes Final Reading

Nebraska farmers and ranchers scored a major win at the State Capitol with the final passage of LB 525, a bill that establishes clear,commonsense protections for agricultural data.

Supported by Nebraska Farm Bureau and introduced by Mike Jacobsen of North Platte, the legislation marks a significant step forward in safeguarding the information that powers modern agriculture.

"As agriculture becomes increasingly data-driven, Nebraska must establish clear expectations for how agricultural data is collected,owned, controlled, shared, and protected," said Bruce Rieker, senior director of state legislative affairs for Nebraska Farm Bureau.

At its core, LB 525 ensures that farmers and ranchers remain in control of their own data. The bill requires any company seeking to access or use agricultural data to first enter into a written consent agreement with the producer. It also clearly establishes that producers are the sole owners of data tied to their operations, including agronomic, climate, weather,land, livestock, and management data, so long as it is not publicly available or aggregated.

The legislation goes even further by prohibiting the sale of a producer's raw data by anyone other than the producer and requires companies that handle such data to maintain strong security practices to protect it.

In addition to its agricultural provisions, LB 525 includes consumer protections related to artificial intelligence, particularly for minors. The bill requires transparency when users may believe they are interacting with a human, adds safeguards for youth accounts, and ensures appropriate responses to sensitive topics such as mental health and self-harm.

Passage of LB 525 reflects the growing importance of data in agriculture and the need to protect it. For Nebraska Farm Bureau, it represents a policy priority driven by member concerns that successfully advanced through the legislative process.

"We appreciate Senator Jacobsen and all stakeholders who worked to move this proposal forward," Rieker said. "This is an important step,and we recognize that agricultural data policy will continue to evolve as technology advances."

With LB 525 now headed to the governor's desk, Nebraska agriculture is better positioned to embrace innovation while maintaining control, privacy, and security over the data that drives its success.

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