Better Farming February 2017

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30 Story Idea?Email Better Farming February 2017
SATELLITE IMAGERY
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Space Agency photo
To some, monitoring the growth
of 30,000 acres of corn may
seem like a logistical night-
mare. To others,
this task may be a
challenge that
requires the use of
some innovative
technology.
Just ask Charles
Lalonde, biomass
project coordinator
at the Ontario
Federation of
Agriculture. When
Lalonde was given
this task, he looked
up – way up – to
space.
Lalonde, along with other re-
searchers, began using satellites to aid
in the crucial first year of a biomass
project which plans to turn corn
stover into cellulosic sugar.
Lalonde and his team needed to
predict the biomass yields of corn
that would be available
for the project. The acres
spanned southwestern
Ontario. A drone just
wouldn’t cut it for this
task, he says.
“With satellite images,
we can work with farmers
to identify which fields
are the highest-yielding
fields,” says Lalonde. “We
can determine this
(information) in late July
and therefore map out
the logistics of the
harvest. Without (this information),
we would have to wait until the
farmers disclose grain yields.”
The images provided Lalonde and
his team with a good indication that
the amount of residue available to be
removed from the fields was in fact
sufficient for the needs of the sugar
plant.
“The satellite imagery offered a
very quick and accurate snapshot,
based on not only what we know
from research, but also when verified
from a field level,” says Lalonde.
On a project as large as Lalonde’s,
satellites could be a game-changer in
terms of efficiency.
But the imagery can also prove
handy locally, says Karon Trac-
ey-Cowan, founder of AgTech GIS, a
precision ag company that acts as a
conduit between satellite imagery
providers and clients.
Satellite imagery has “expanded
hugely,” she says. “Agri-businesses are
bringing in more industry services,
such as satellites and drones.”
It is an exciting time for satellite
Satellite images: Multi-use, multi-purpose
Increasingly reliable technologies provide clearer resolutions. Is it time to use satellite imagery to help
you manage your crops?
by JENNIFER JACKSON
With increasing numbers of satellites orbiting earth, satellite imagery providers
hope to soon acquire new images daily, depending on cloud cover.
Charles Lalonde