With NSF Award, WSU Crop Scientist Harnesses AI to Identify Higher-Yielding Wheat

Mar 10, 2026

By Seth Truscott

Using the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to process vast amounts of complex data, scientists at Washington State University aim to speed up the breeding of higher-yielding wheat crops.

Zhiwu Zhang, professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, leads a team of scientists in the U.S., India, and Japan as they harness neural networks — computer models that mimic how the brain processes information — to analyze massive amounts of data on wheat genetics, performance, and environmental conditions. Their work is part of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative bridging AI and agriculture.

“Wheat feeds billions worldwide,” Zhang said. “It provides a fifth of global calories, yet breeders are only able to boost yields by about 1% annually.”

Zhang, who specializes in developing AI and statistical tools and models for wheat breeders, aims to better that number. Part of the first cohort of NSF’s Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen AGriculturE (AI-ENGAGE) initiative, he received a $400,000 grant to develop a new, open-source computer system that can process a thousandfold more data than conventional techniques.

Source : wsu.edu

Video: Cheapest States to Buy Farmland in America

The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.