The new scheme, which builds on existing schemes available in the United States and New Zealand, will certify products marketed to farmers to ensure they comply with the Australian Farm Data Code (the Code). An updated Version 2 of the Code has also been released today.

NFF Vice President and chair of the new certification panel, David Jochinke, said the scheme is about informing farmers and lifting industry standards.

"We're in the digital farming era, and the volume and value of our data is growing every day," Jochinke said.

"There's a gold mine of industry data held with service providers.

"Everything about our production systems, our soils, our yields and our finances is in a cloud somewhere."

As a farmer Jochinke said he wants to know the companies he gives that data to will look after it. 

"That means keeping it secure, not sharing or selling it to third parties, and giving me control to delete it or move it to another service," he said.

"We know there are a lot of companies doing this well, and we also know there are a lot of fledgling companies looking for guidance on what farmers think is fair. 

"That's what this certification hopes to achieve - lifting standards by recognising best practice, and helping farmers make informed choices."

The certification has been developed over an 18-month period with support from the Australian Government and in consultation with farmers and product providers.

Certification will be available to providers from today, with NFF hoping to assess and certify several providers before the end of this year.

For more information about the Australian Farm Data Code and Certification Scheme, click here.