The Data Mine at Purdue University is a model for collaboration, creates a new tool 

By Amie Simpson 

Indiana farmers face both opportunities and challenges when considering new conservation practices on their operations. With a growing number of programs available, it can be difficult to determine which options may be the right fit. 
  

To address this, the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) has partnered with Purdue University’s The Data Mine to begin developing a tool aimed at helping farmers navigate available information and evaluate potential options. The project is in its early stages and is not yet publicly available. 
 

“Working with the students from The Data Mine has been an incredible experience,” said Ben Forsythe, ISA’s Sustainability and Value Creation Director. “As an organization, we have been able to share more about the challenges, scale and opportunity that production ag brings to the technology space, and they have given us valuable insights into the systems farmers use and ways to improve them.” 
 

The Data Mine is an interdisciplinary learning community that connects students with corporate partners to solve real-world issues. In 2023, students created a web scraping tool that gathers information about USDA and Natural Resources Conservation (NRCS) programs and integrate it into a database for Indiana farmers. This year, they are refining features to make it more user-friendly. 

“There is a lot of information about different conservation programs that is fragmented across many websites. That makes it harder for farmers to know where to find the right opportunities quickly,” said Raja Allmdar Tariq Ali, a Purdue senior majoring in computer science. “This program has the goal of helping address that problem by creating a centralized and interactive platform for farmers.” 

He has worked as a teaching assistant in The Data Mine supporting ISA for the past two years. 
  

Maggie Betz is the managing director of The Data Mine in Indianapolis. She said the ISA partnership has introduced students to emerging careers and technical demands in modern agriculture. 
  

“Students who aren’t familiar with the industry don’t typically think of agriculture as tech-driven,” Betz said. “It’s exciting that this project is helping students see that they can apply the technical skills they’re learning at Purdue to fields and career paths they may have never considered.” 

Evaluating new opportunities 

While the project gives students a new perspective on agriculture, its broader aim is to support Indiana farmers as they evaluate conservation and sustainability opportunities. 

Bryce Castle, corporate partners technical specialist with The Data Mine and a former student participant, serves as the liaison between industry partners and students. He said the hands-on project gives students a clearer understanding of how technical skills translate to real-world agricultural challenges. 

“Students are working on two main projects through the partnership. One focuses on improving access to programs and connecting farmers with grants and subsidies that may help lower barriers to entry and improve awareness of available resources,” Castle explained. “The second project looks at water quality, analyzing factors like nitrogen levels and how the state manages its water ecosystem. It’s more research-driven and open-ended, so students are exploring the data and identifying where additional sensors may be needed.” 

The effort reflects a broader need seen across the agriculture industry. As sustainability programs continue to expand, many farmers are navigating an evolving landscape of opportunities. 

Streamline data collection 

Keystone Cooperative also recognizes this challenge and the importance of helping farmers better understand what programs may be available to them. Keystone Sustainability Infrastructure Lead Sina Parks said the cooperative has worked to streamline the data collection process for its sustainability programs so that farmers understand what they may be eligible for. 
 
She added that collaboration across the agriculture sector is essential to long-term success. 

“Coordinated efforts help the industry move forward more efficiently,” Parks said. “At the end of the day, everyone wants to see farms remain viable and profitable for the long term. By working together and building on existing resources, we can better utilize what’s already in place and accelerate progress.” 

A model for collaboration 

ISA’s participation in The Data Mine is more than a class project; it’s a model for collaboration. ISA is the state’s soybean checkoff program, and Purdue is the state’s leading agricultural research university. 
 
“The students gain experience working with real data while collaborating with industry stakeholders. They gain technical skills along with time management and project management experience,” Raja said. “For the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Purdue University, the partnership continues to strengthen collaboration in support of the state’s farmers. And, for farmers, it helps improve access to conservation programs.” 
  

For Indiana farmers weighing new conservation practices, the growing list of programs can feel overwhelming. This partnership aims to simplify access to information and explore ways to make conservation opportunities easier to navigate as the work continues.  

Learn more about conservation in Indiana here. Find out more about The Data Mine here.