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The farm data market represents $20-25 billion in value. Adversaries don't just want your data for curiosity—it enables intelligence operations, commodity trading advantages, and strategic planning for conflict.
Aggregated farm data provides advance knowledge of crop conditions, enabling commodity traders to position ahead of market moves—before USDA reports are even released.
Developing a new seed variety requires $30-40 million and 5-8 years of research. Stealing this data bypasses that entire investment.
Stole proprietary corn seed genetics from Pioneer and Monsanto. Value: $30-40 million minimum, plus 5-8 years of bypassed R&D. Sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Monsanto software engineer stole the Nutrient Optimizer algorithm—years of development in precision agriculture technology. Sentenced to 2+ years in prison.
Between 2015-2023, food and agriculture experienced 397 security incidents with 115 confirmed breaches. The targeting is systematic, not random.
Farm data provides market-moving information that creates massive trading advantages. When adversaries have production data before official reports, they can position for billions in gains.
NEW Cooperative Attack Impact: When ransomware hit NEW Cooperative, 40% of grain production was affected and feed schedules for 11 million animals were disrupted. Commodity market uncertainty spiked. Adversaries with advance warning could have profited enormously.
Economic Espionage
Knowingly targeting or acquiring trade secrets to benefit any foreign government, foreign instrumentality, or foreign agent.Penalty: Up to 15 years
Theft of Trade Secrets
Benefiting anyone other than the owner through trade secret theft for commercial or economic purposes.Penalty: Up to 10 years
"People's Republic of China state-sponsored cyber actors are seeking to pre-position themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States."— CISA Advisory on Volt Typhoon
"The U.S. food system's very efficiency, anchored in just-in-time delivery, concentrated infrastructure, and foreign input reliance, has also made it profoundly fragile."
Understanding the value of your data is the first step. Take action to protect it from adversaries who see your farm as a strategic target.