US 2014/0278731 A1Published application

System and Method for Agricultural Risk Management

AssigneeCresco, Inc., SA.

InventorsTerry Griffin, Clint Jayroe, Chism Craig, Barry Knight, Charles Mitchell

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Abstract

A system and method for applying risk analysis to identify optimal crop varieties for use in a particular field with particular environmental characteristics and soil techniques is disclosed herein. The method adapts financial portfolio analysis methods for use with agricultural production to take into account the variability of soil, environment, and crop management. A system for supporting the use of the method is also disclosed.

Claims24

Dependent claims

1) A process for data management and use in portfolio analysis for agricultural production businesses comprising:

a) identifying a data contributor who has access to information about agricultural production, or about factors that do or may influence agricultural production;
b) creating a plurality of feeder databases, where each feeder database is associated with at least one data contributor;
c) collecting data from at least one data contributor comprising observational data about inputs and results from at least one entity's commercial production efforts;
d) tagging data with an indication of the source type of such data;
e) identifying data related to or identifying personal information;
f) maintaining the data collected from the data contributor in the feeder database associated with the data contributor;
g) linking the plurality of feeder databases to a master database, in a manner such that a subset of information added to the feeder database populates forward into the master database, wherein the subset of information does not include personal information;
h) receiving a request for data analysis from a requestor associated with a first entity engaged in agricultural production, about which first entity at least some observational data from such first entity's prior agricultural production efforts is contained in a feeder database;
i) receiving a plurality of inputs from the requestor, the plurality of inputs comprising a crop to be analyzed, a yield goal, and afield having defined soil characteristics;
j) querying the master database to identify other entities for whom data in the master database reflects environmental characteristics and management techniques similar to those reflected in information associated with the first entity to create a group called a cohort, said data in the master database known as a cohort subset;
k) analyzing the information in the first entity's observational data and the cohort subset to determine an optimal crop variety bundle for use in the field;
and
l) displaying the resulting optimal crop variety bundle and a risk curve depicting various yield possibilities and corresponding risk to the first entity.

10 more elements

20) A process for data management and use in portfolio analysis for agricultural production businesses comprising:

a) identifying a data contributor who has access to information about agricultural production, or about factors that do or may influence agricultural production;
b) creating a plurality of feeder databases, where each feeder database is associated with at least one data contributor;
c) collecting data from at least one data contributor comprising observational data about inputs and results from at least one entity's commercial production efforts;
d) collecting data from at least one data contributor comprising publicly available data about agricultural production or factors that do or may influence agricultural production;
e) tagging data with an indication of the source type of such data;
f) identifying data related to or identifying personal information;
g) maintaining the data collected from the data contributor in the feeder database associated with the data contributor;
h) providing the data contributor with access to the database associated with the contributor;
i) linking the plurality of feeder databases to a master database, in a manner such that a subset of information added to the feeder database populates forward into the master database, wherein the subset of information comprises information about environmental characteristics of geographical areas regarding which data is present in the subset, and information about agricultural management techniques of geographical areas regarding which data is present in the subset, but does not include personal information;
j) receiving a request for data analysis from a requestor associated with a first entity engaged in agricultural production, about which first entity at least some observational data from such first entity's prior agricultural production efforts is contained in a feeder database;
k) receiving a plurality of inputs from the requestor, the plurality of inputs comprising a crop to be analyzed, a yield goal, and a field having defined soil characteristics;
l) querying the master database to identify other entities for whom data in the master database reflects environmental characteristics and management techniques similar to those reflected in information associated with the first entity to create a group called a cohort, said data in the master database known as a cohort subset;
m) determining whether the population of other entities in the cohort subset is so small that the sample size results in a high chance of error, is statistically uncertain or insignificant, or would result in a response revealing sufficient information to identify the other entities to the first entity, and if so, either
i) broadening the scope of the cohort subset, whereby the number of other entities is increased;
or
ii) requesting a new request for data analysis having broader inputs and repeating the process beginning at the step of receiving inputs;
n) analyzing the information in the first entity's observational data and the cohort subset to determine an optimal crop variety bundle for use in the field;
o) removing from the bundle any crop variety for which an amount of seed or acreage planted included in the bundle is below a minimal amount;
p) reapportioning seed or acreage allocated to crop varieties below the minimal amount to crop varieties remaining in the optimal crop variety bundle;
q) allocating crop varieties within the optimal crop variety bundle among a plurality of maturity groups;
r) displaying the resulting optimal crop variety bundle and a risk curve depicting various yield possibilities and corresponding risk to the first entity;
s) adding, to the feeder database containing the observational data of the first entity, information related to the optimal crop variety bundle;
t) reporting the request and the analysis to the contributor associated with the feeder database maintaining the first entity's observational data.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

1) A process for data management and use in portfolio analysis for agricultural production businesses comprising:

a) identifying a data contributor who has access to information about agricultural production, or about factors that do or may influence agricultural production;
b) creating a plurality of feeder databases, where each feeder database is associated with at least one data contributor;
c) collecting data from at least one data contributor comprising observational data about inputs and results from at least one entity's commercial production efforts;
d) tagging data with an indication of the source type of such data;
e) identifying data related to or identifying personal information;
f) maintaining the data collected from the data contributor in the feeder database associated with the data contributor;
g) linking the plurality of feeder databases to a master database, in a manner such that a subset of information added to the feeder database populates forward into the master database, wherein the subset of information does not include personal information;
h) receiving a request for data analysis from a requestor associated with a first entity engaged in agricultural production, about which first entity at least some observational data from such first entity's prior agricultural production efforts is contained in a feeder database;
i) receiving a plurality of inputs from the requestor, the plurality of inputs comprising a crop to be analyzed, a yield goal, and afield having defined soil characteristics;
j) querying the master database to identify other entities for whom data in the master database reflects environmental characteristics and management techniques similar to those reflected in information associated with the first entity to create a group called a cohort, said data in the master database known as a cohort subset;
k) analyzing the information in the first entity's observational data and the cohort subset to determine an optimal crop variety bundle for use in the field;
and
l) displaying the resulting optimal crop variety bundle and a risk curve depicting various yield possibilities and corresponding risk to the first entity.

10 more elements