Using satellites to better understand farm fields

Feb 09, 2023

Have you ever wondered how information from a drone could help you on the farm?

By Haley Bilokraly
Farms.com Intern

Research presented by Professor Steve Shirtliffe from the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) shows that remotely sensed data is a great way to collect information about your crops.

Remote sensing is using satellites and unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones, to gather information about your land.

According to experiments conducted by the U of S, remotely sensed data can be used for determining variability in a field, assessing herbicide damage, measuring seed moisture and more. Shirtliffe shared the research at the recent Farms.com 2022 Western Precision Agriculture Conference and Ag Technology Showcase.

For example, Shirtliffe shared how UAVs can be used to count your canola. In his experiment, students created a program that scans UAV images for emerging canola plants.

On top of detecting positive plant growth, research has been done to use UAVs for detecting harmful weeds like kochia. During this study, Shirtliffe and his colleagues were able to create accurate maps predicting where kochia was hiding in fields.

Current research has been focused on yield prediction using data collection at the beginning of seeding. The hope is to extend this information to accurately predict yields for the following year using historical data.

Learn about the other ways remotely sensed data is being used by watching the video below.

Video: Our Own On-Farm Research Is the Best Source - Managing White Mold in Northeast Nebraska

If you assumed Nebraska was too hot and dry for white mold to be a problem in soybeans, think again.

This week we're featuring Galen Samuelson, a farmer and dealer from Wakefield, Nebraska, who knows all too well how devastating white mold can be.

"We don't have it consistently every year, but with our temperature and humidity, it can hurt us quite bad," Samuelson says. Looking for alternatives, he explains, "What I like about Heads Up is that it's non-harmful to the beneficial fungal colonies in the soil." Galen has been using Heads Up for several years now, after first hearing about it through a small ad in a regional newspaper. Watch below to hear about his journey.

When asked to write about Samuelson Seed, Galen said the following:

"Samuelson Seed is a 4th-generation, family-based company. It started with my grandfather, and I'm now starting to pass the torch to my son, Caleb."

"In the early 1990s, I started working with a company whose focus was on plant and soil health before those benefits were widely known. I've continued to keep plant and soil health the main focus in our farming operation decisions."