Microsoft Azure Data Manager for Agriculture

As the Agricultural industry around the world is growing at a rapid pace and food may seem bountiful, yet hunger in many regions is growing at the same rate. To sustainably feed the growing population in those regions, we need to change the way food is being produced.

Microsoft has therefore recognized that scaling innovation across this industry starts with data. What began with Project FarmBeats, an ambitious initiative to collect and transform agricultural data, has now evolved into a timely commercial solution.

Azure Data Manager for Agriculture extends the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform with industry-specific data connectors and capabilities to connect farm data from disparate sources, enabling organizations to leverage high-quality datasets and accelerate the development of digital agriculture solutions.

Instead of devoting resources to managing unstructured data, customers and partners can focus on product innovation with the ability to reason over readily available and abundant data. Furthermore, organizations can use in-house, third-party, or Intelligent Data Platform services to speed the path to analytics and business intelligence solutions. With a connected ecosystem of partners building solutions on top of Azure Data Manager for Agriculture, this is another step towards a connected and collaborative agriculture industry.

Accelerate innovation through data

With so much agriculture-relevant data generated across the farm-from sensors in the soil to satellites orbiting the earth-many organizations don’t have the resources to harness it effectively. Azure Data Manager for Agriculture helps break down data silos, allowing organizations to build solutions that provide predictive and prescriptive insights on soil health, changing weather patterns, waste tracking, carbon sequestration, and more.

Enable a more sustainable future

Feeding a growing global population and building a healthier world is only possible if sustainability is practiced from farm to fork. With Azure Data Manager for Agriculture, agriculture input providers can accelerate solutions that empower farmers to adopt more sustainable practices. For example, Azure Data Manager for Agriculture is a foundational component for Land O’Lakes’ digital offerings, including the Truterra sustainability tool. Truterra provides insight into how different agricultural practices impact water, nitrogen, and carbon on a farm, and it enables farmers to track their soil’s carbon sequestration and participate in carbon markets.

Cultivate trust rooted in transparency

Consumers and investors alike are putting pressure on companies to be transparent about their agricultural and sustainability practices. With a clearer view into farm operations, companies can take an important step to establish trust with investors and customers. Azure Data Manager for Agriculture enables organizations to replace self-reported data with high-quality farm data to provide more accurate information to stakeholders-helping companies build brand trust through ethically and sustainably produced products. And as security and privacy concerns grow, organizations can rest assured knowing their data is stored in the most trusted cloud, built to meet stringent security and compliance requirements.

If you’re interested in using Azure Data Manager for Agriculture for your customer’s business, contact your Surestep Ambassador to assist you. As this solution is still in preview, let us guide you how you can sign up and learn more from its offerings.