Field-level crop yield forecasting for AGRISAR 2009

The ability to forecast crop yields early in the growing season is of intense interest to many in the agrifood industry. Producers use this information to strategically apply additional fertilizers and/or pesticides in problem areas to maximize their harvest. Marketers use it to negotiate higher selling prices. Obtaining reliable crop information during the growing season is problematic, however, because farmers frequently do not have the time to provide accurate reports and because manually inventorying every field in an agricultural region is impractical. Analyzing images of croplands that have been acquired by sensors carried aboard Earthorbiting satellites ¨C remote sensing ¨C has been shown to be a very effective way to provide yield estimates for a wide variety of crops. The AGRISAR 2009 project is a joint initiative between the European Space Agency and MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA) of Richmond, B.C. to validate the potential of multi©temporal radar remote sensing for crop yield forecasting. MDA is engaging the assistance of a MITACS intern from the University of Regina and expertise from Agriculture and Agri©Food Canada`s Indian Head Research Farm to help it understand how different crops, in different stages of growth, appear in satellite images.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Joseph M. Piwowar

Student:

Lindsey Ziegler

Partner:

Indian Head Research Farm

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Regina