NASA to give farmers weather information

June 2003

U.S. Water News Online

WASHINGTON -- Farmers will get earlier storm warnings and more information about soil moisture now that the Agriculture Department will share sensors and maps with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the department's secretary said.

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, signing an agreement with NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, said information gathered from satellites and sensors could help farmers improve crop yields and reduce pollution.

``Precision agricultural practices are helping farmers improve productivity while protecting our natural resources,'' Veneman said. ``This partnership with NASA will make available remote sensing technologies that will advance precision agriculture.''

O'Keefe said the agreement could lead his agency to collect more data for a project in which NASA scientists are trying to understand the earth's response to natural or manmade changes.

Some of the agency's technologies now available to help farmers include the following:

• Monitors and maps that can detect and record changes in crop yields, soil and crop conditions, as well as problems with pests.
• Sensors that help farmers determine how much fertilizer, pesticide and irrigation water their crops need.
• Technology that could warn farmers about changes in climate and track storms and severe weather like tornadoes.

The agreement stemmed from a partnership that began in February, when the USDA Forest Service helped NASA track down pieces of the shuttle Columbia after it broke up over Texas, killing all seven astronauts on board.

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