Acres.com[1], a Fayetteville-based land intelligence platform, recently established a partnership with the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence, a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
The collaboration will expand research and outreach on agricultural risk, with a focus on land “as a cornerstone of producer strategies,” according to a news release. Acres will provide the Fryar center with access to its database of farmland sales and mortgages, “supporting in-depth research and evidence-based solutions for producers and policymakers.”
The Fryar center will apply its knowledge in risk management research and extension outreach “to leverage Acres data, highlight key issues facing producers and deliver actionable strategies to help farmers manage volatility and uncertainty.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, land accounts for about 75% of U.S. farmland balance sheets. Farmers manage risk through ownership, rental agreements and by using land as collateral.
“This partnership aligns perfectly with Acres’ mission to bring transparency to land markets,” said Dr. Aaron Shew, vice president of product and data science at Acres.com. “Empowering the Fryar center with best-in-class farmland transaction and mortgage data will help deliver practical risk information for policymakers and insights that farmers can use on the ground.”
“Partnering with Acres will provide the Fryar center with access to the nation’s most comprehensive dataset on farmland transactions and mortgage activity,” said Dr. Lanier Nalley, director of the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence.
“Leveraging this dataset will enhance the center’s capacity to conduct evidence-based risk assessment and mitigation strategies that directly benefit Arkansas agricultural producers. The collaboration with Acres advances the center’s mission of supporting producer resilience and strengthening the economic sustainability of Arkansas agriculture.”
Acres has 64 staff.