IRRIGATED CROPLAND IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS
Agricultural fields in parts of three southwestern Kansas counties are shown in this multi-date composite satellite image from KU’s Kansas Applied Remote Sensing program. Each small dot represents about a quarter-section of center-pivot irrigated cropland.The Arkansas River flows through the upper right of the image.
THE VIEW FROM THERE
Jude Kastens grew up tending wheat, corn, and milo on his family’s farm in Rawlins County. He draws on that agricultural upbringing as an assistant research professor with KU’s Kansas Applied Remote Sensing program.
Kastens and colleagues analyze information and imagery from polar-orbiting satellites that they publish in a map series, the GreenReport. This measures crop conditions and growth so that farmers in Kansas and elsewhere can look at the entire nation’s vegetation, or focus on the Corn Belt or the Wheat Belt to compare productivity to past years.
“Farmers have to rely on a lot of information,” said Kastens.“Producers can use the information we provide to give them a better feel for what the overall crop will be like, and hopefully that will help them to make better marketing decisions.”