NASA may grab the headlines for its missions to Mars and the return to the Moon, but some of its explorations are more grounded. Currently, the space program has two dozen satellites that help us learn more about our planet. Some of this information is already helping farmers and ranchers. And it could be critical as our climate continues to change. For Kerry and Angela Knuth and their two sons near Mead, it’s already been a challenging year. “The drought has been the worst since 2012,” Kerry Knuth said. Add to that historic increases in fertilizer and fuel costs. “Any practice that can reduce our input costs, reduce our need for more horsepower equipment is something we have to look at,” Angela Knuth said. That’s why they welcomed a recent visit from NASA’s Director of Earth Sciences, Karen St. Germain. “We have satellites that look at many different aspects of how the Earth works,” said St. Germain. The satellites collect data on precipitation, soil moisture and pollution in the atmosphere. She and her team want to know how they can ‘better serve the people of Nebraska.’It’s about getting the information they need in a format they can readily use to inform their decisions. Not trying to tell them what to do,” St. Germain said. The Knuths are no strangers to technology. They’ve been working with University of Nebraska researchers using sensors to assess the need for fertilizer in the field. And they They used probes to determine soil moisture. “We saw where we were watering too much,” Angela Knuth said. “We started putting probes in soybeans and all the neighbors were watering. We were not watering. And we didn’t use the yield at all. Actually, we didn’t have water costs,” Angela Knuth. said. But the couple needed a quick way to understand the satellite data and how to incorporate it with other technologies. “It was interesting to us, but we we don’t know how to use it,” Angela Knuth said. And when you operate across 2,300 acres your time and your decisions count. “Technology is good, but we don’t want it to drive us, we want it to be a tool, ” said Angela Knuth. Especially during a challenging year. “We know the climate and weather patterns are changing and we know that’s going to increase the stress on farms, family farms and frankly on our food security,” St. Germain said. . The University of Nebraska is already using some NASA data that is free. The University’s National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the US Department of Agriculture use NASA data and more than 50 more data sources to create ar the US Drought Monitor. The tool illustrates which parts of the United States and the world are currently experiencing drought.
NASA may grab the headlines for its missions to Mars and the return to the Moon, but some of its explorations are more grounded.
Currently, the space program has two dozen satellites that help us learn more about our planet.
Some of this information is already helping farmers and ranchers.
And it could be critical as our climate continues to change.
For Kerry and Angela Knuth and their two sons near Mead, it’s already been a challenging year.
“The drought has been the worst since 2012,” Kerry Knuth said.
Add to this historic increases in fertilizer and fuel costs.
“Any practice that can reduce our input costs, reduce our need for more horsepower equipment is something we should consider,” Angela Knuth said.
That’s why they welcomed a recent visit from NASA’s Director of Earth Sciences, Karen St. Germain.
“We have satellites that look at many different aspects of how the Earth works,” said St. Germain.
Satellites collect data on rainfall, soil moisture and atmospheric pollution.
She and her team want to know how they can better serve Nebraskans.
“It’s about getting the information they need in a format that they can readily use to inform their decisions. Not trying to tell them what to do,” said St. Germain.
The Knuths are no strangers to technology.
They worked with University of Nebraska researchers using sensors to assess the need for fertilizer in the field.
And they used probes to determine soil moisture.
“We’ve seen where we were watering too much,” Angela Knuth said.
“We started putting probes in soybeans and all the neighbors were watering. We weren’t irrigating. And we didn’t use yield at all. In fact, we had no water costs,” Angela Knuth said.
But the pair needed a quick way to make sense of the satellite data and how to incorporate it with other technologies.
“It was interesting for us, but we don’t know how to use it,” said Angela Knuth.
And when your operation spans 2,300 acres, your time and decisions count.
“Technology is good, but we don’t want it to drive us, we want it to be a tool,” Angela Knuth said.
Especially during a challenging year.
“We know the climate and weather patterns are changing and we know that’s going to increase the stress on farms, family farms and frankly on our food security,” said St. Germain.
The University of Nebraska is already using some NASA data, which is free.
The University’s National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Department of Agriculture use NASA data and more than 50 other data sources to create the US Drought Monitor.
The tool illustrates which parts of the United States and the world are currently experiencing drought.