ST. LOUIS, MO – Since the launch of the first Landsat satellite in 1972, NASA has been mapping global agriculture to provide critical knowledge about the role U.S. agriculture plays in the global food system. Fifty years and eight Landsat craft later, the volume and value of data collected is staggering. Researchers, scientists, and stakeholders gathered here last week for the official kick-off of NASA Acres, the next project that aims to turn Earth observation (EO) technology into a critical tool for America’s farmers.
NASA Acres is a U.S.-focused agriculture and food security consortium made up of more than 25 top scientists and practitioners in agricultural remote sensing, artificial intelligence, soil science, specialty crop, row crop, rangeland agronomy, sociology, economics, and data policy. The consortium is led by the University of Maryland with Research, Development, and Extension Partners at nine other universities, including Mississippi State and North Carolina State, and two supporting private organizations.
The two-day kick-off event here featured multiple panels, moderated sessions, and guided discussions on topics ranging from data security concerns and partnerships to sustainability policies and how diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice issues are related to science and agriculture.
USA Rice Vice President of Communications & Domestic Promotion Michael Klein participated on a roundtable discussion, “Sustainability Decisions, Policy, and Action,” with Dr. Pamela Bachman with Bayer Crop Science/Climate LLC, Jack Cornell of the United Soybean Board, Dr. Steve Rosenzweig of General Mills, and Dr. Kaiyu Guan, NASA Acres’ chief scientist.
“I was happy to be able to share the impressive sustainability accomplishments of the U.S. rice industry and our goals going forward,” Klein said. “But it wasn’t only our water and land use efficiencies and greenhouse gas reductions that I touted. I also made sure the scientists understood agriculture is not a monolith, and that there may be different paths to the value the rice industry would receive from the program compared with corn producers, grape growers, ranchers, and others.”
The consortium partners will use the deep record of satellite data and state of the science machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to optimize nitrogen application and irrigation scheduling, to support early detection of pests and disease, to provide information tools to support local food production, and to bolster soil health.
“We want farmers to know that their space agency has an agriculture program that is focused on understanding their needs and finding solutions with them," said Bradley Doorn, program manager with NASA Water Resources and Agriculture.
NASA Acres representatives will be on hand at the USA Rice Outlook Conference next month where they will explain the program goals in greater detail and share ways the rice industry can get involved and benefit from their work at a breakout session on Thursday, December 7, at 2:00 pm PT on The USA Rice Education Stage. If you haven’t registered for the Outlook Conference yet, go
here for all the details.