it's not so much data fear, or even the fear of what they are going to do with internally, just think of how the seed selection process would be if a guy could type in his soil type, location, fertility, anticipated moisture, and the ol' seed selection computer would spit out a hybrid and planting rate, would kinda remove the difference between the guys that got a good handle on this and the operators that struggle.             

    BUTTTTTT,  I can think of several malevolent avenues that the data could be used if it was to be acquired out side the company.

it's a big picture look at things, and not all people are capable of getting outside their little world, and see it. 

it's like the somany rocks poster,  he mentions a company at 365 billion, he would be greatly mistaken if he didn't think that they weren't mining and selling his data, but it's all accepted as a part of doing business in the internet marketplace.  so as a person navigates the web, have you ever wondered why the banners and popups are targeted to the sites you visited in the past, or there are sites that popup that I've never visited, but certainly pertain to agriculture.