NMSU’s AI, Agriculture Initiative Honored With Innovators Award

Oct 06, 2025

New Mexico State University’s artificial intelligence and agriculture initiative has been honored with the 2025 Rangelands Innovators Award in the collaborative team category.

The partnership includes the Massey family of the Massey Ranch Precision Ranching and Virtual Fencing Project of Animas, New Mexico, U.S Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Jornada Experimental Range, Bat Conservation International, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the Sierra Water and Soil Conservation District, the Bureau of Land Management’s Abandoned Mine Lands Program and BLM’s Las Cruces District Office.

“This award acknowledges the research that NMSU, in collaboration with the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, is doing in developing intelligent technologies and integrating them into tools that are useful and accessible to ranchers,” said Santiago Utsumi, animal and range sciences associate professor.

Source : nmsu.edu

Video: Residue Management

Residue Management conservation practice manages the amount, orientation, and distribution of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface year-round while limiting soil-disturbing activities used to grow and harvest crops in systems where the field surface is tilled prior to planting. This video explores how Ryan McKenzie implemented this conservation practice on his farm in Samson, Alabama.

Practice benefits:

• Increases organic matter

• Improves air quality

• Decreases energy costs

• Reduces erosion

• Improves soil health

The Conservation at Work video series was created to increase producer awareness of common conservation practices and was filmed at various locations throughout the country. Because conservation plans are specific to the unique resource needs on each farm and also soil type, weather conditions, etc., these videos were designed to serve as a general guide to the benefits of soil and water conservation and landowners should contact their local USDA office for individual consultation.