Dryland Farmers Working With Latest Technology To Improve Yields

Dryland farming and practices related to it, have been around for centuries. Yet modern innovations and technologies are being increasingly incorporated into research to address issues such as sustainability and water management.  USDA researcher, Robert Lescano, said remote sensing data and satellite imagery are now being incorporated into research, with scientific collaboration across various disciplines.

"That comes in where you can start doing simulation models, and you can do experiments with your models and you could do 100 years of experiments on your simulation models.  You see different data to look and ask questions of "what if?"."

Lescano acknowledged that field testing must also continue in conjunction with simulation models to account for specific regions and soil types. Yet, results from such studies could develop new natural resource and conservation strategies for dryland ag producers going forward.

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