Hello there!

Welcome to our May Newsletter! In this issue, we are bringing you the latest updates and insights from the NASA Acres Consortium.
May Spotlight
NASA Acres and NASA Harvest Attend Joint NASA and USDA Event in DC: 'From Seeds to Satellites' Showcasing NASA's Support for Food Security Through Satellite Technology

NASA Harvest and NASA Acres, two pioneering NASA Consortia focused on food security and agriculture at global and domestic scales, respectively, recently showcased their groundbreaking contributions at the Joint NASA and USDA Seeds to Satellites exposition. The event held at the Rayburn Building in Washington, DC, served as a platform for highlighting how remotely-sensed Earth observations play a pivotal role in agriculture monitoring and in supporting food security initiatives and policies.
Map of the Month
Eight Early-Career Scientists with NASA DEVELOP Explore Use Cases of Satellite EO for Rangelands

Earlier this spring, eight early-career professionals with the NASA DEVELOP Program joined the NASA Acres team at Colorado State University (CSU) to complete 10-week feasibility studies focused on developing use cases for the application of satellite Earth observations (EO) for rangeland and ranch management. Tony Vorster, a Research Scientist in Warner College’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL) and primary investigator for the rangelands NASA Acres work at CSU, mentored the DEVELOP teams with Nick Young, a Research Associate also at NREL and with the CSU NASA Acres team.

The first image (left) was produced by the NASA DEVELOP team that explored the impact of night penning on vegetation. The black polygons outline some of the enclosures that the group studied. The second image (right) was produced by the other NASA DEVELOP team which evaluated the satellite-derived net primary production models over rangelands in Oklahoma and northern Texas.
NASA Acres in the News
NASA is helping farmers — how researchers are using satellite images to address big ag issues
It’s been a year since NASA kicked off an effort to provide farmers with useful information garnered from satellite images of Earth. The program includes research at two universities in the Midwest.
NASA Acres aims to address some of the most pressing problems facing food production — getting important data points from satellite images of Earth.
But connecting those dots will take a lot of work. “We want to hear what producers need,” said Tom Wagner, associate director of NASA Earth Action. “We want to build the tools to address their challenges.” Wagner spoke at an event at the University of Illinois, marking NASA Acres' one-year anniversary. The university is one of 10 involved in the consortium’s 14 research projects, which will convert the data NASA gathers into information that farmers can use.
Dr. Kaitlin Gold's research with hyperspectral imaging is making waves in the wine industry
Hyperspectral technology makes it possible to detect and manage grape diseases, without ever disturbing the vines.We are grateful to have Dr. Gold leading NASA Acres' efforts on advancing methods for pest and disease detection with remote sensing. Learn more about her work and her research award from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.

Events
NASA's ARSET (Applied Remote Sensing Training Program) is hosting a three day training on the use of Earth observation data for humanitarian applications. The training will feature strategies and techniques for flood risk assessments, gauging long-term heat risk in refugee camps, and monitoring drought effects on agricultural landscapes. The training is free and open to the public, and a recording will be available afterwards.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), Freedmen Heirs Foundation (FHF) and Resources For the Future (RFF) are collaborating to conduct a webinar series and convening event on the current status of minority farmers during the ongoing shift towards climate-conscious agriculture. This webinar series and convening will be guided by community insights and will be used to shape a research framework as well as the creation of resources that enhance the impact of climate-smart agriculture investments on minority farmers.

September 24-26
In-Person | Denver, CO
We are happy to announce that our very own Dr. Alyssa Whitcraft, will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 Women in Agribusiness Summit. She will showcase how NASA is bringing its data, science, and tools "down-to-Earth" with ongoing cooperative projects to benefit the future of agriculture. This summit is a fantastic opportunity to learn from and connect with inspiring women leaders who are at the forefront of agribusiness innovation.