NASA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have announced that they will formalize an agreement on July 16 that aims to enhance the areas of Earth science research, technology, agricultural management, and the application of science data, models and technology in agricultural decision-making.
NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman and U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden will officially sign an interagency agreement on July 16 at a press event at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.
Children will also be encouraged to learn more about the application of science data and models in real-world situations.
The Continued Relationship Between NASA and Agriculture
This is not the first time that NASA and the agricultural industry have come together to foster each other’s initiatives. In April 2014, NASA provided data to agriculturalists from satellite sensors that showed the Northern Hemisphere’s crop growing season. In turn, producers learned that the Midwestern region of the U.S. has more photosynthetic activity than any other area of the planet.
In January 2015, NASA announced that it would be sending its Soil Moisture Active Passive instrument into space. SMAP is designed to measure moisture present within the Earths soils. As a result, agriculturalists have a better idea of when droughts may occur before they have a negative impact.
It will be interesting to see how NASA and the USDA work together in the future to further simplify the agricultural management process for producers around the globe.