Those who rely on a WAAS GPS guidance signal should be aware of an outage on Satellite 133 during the spring planting season.

GPS signal outage planned

Glacier FarmMedia– If the GPS system in use on your farm relies on a Wide Area Augmentation System signal, be aware of a planned outage that will occur in the middle of spring planting this year. The United States Federal Aviation Administration, which administers the civilian-use GPS network, plans to switch WAAS GEO 6 (S15 […] Read more

Satellite imagery is evolving beyond its current capability of identifying mature fields in green and bare fields in red.

Getting more out of satellite imagery

“Resellers” are reshaping imagery demand and usability

The demand for overhead imagery continues to gain acceptance. The volume of data gathered is increasing, and the time and learning curves required for analysis by growers and advisers are rising. At the same time, accessibility in nanosatellite technology and higher-resolution imagery has not led to sweeping adoption of detailed information. Has satellite imagery’s march […] Read more

The SWOT spacecraft is moved into a transport container inside the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 18, 2022. (Photo: USSF 30th Space Wing/Chris Okula)

NASA to conduct first global water survey from space

Data would bolster weather and climate forecasts

Los Angeles | Reuters — A NASA-led international satellite mission was set for blastoff from southern California early on Thursday on a major Earth science project to conduct a comprehensive survey of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers for the first time. Dubbed SWOT, short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography, the advanced radar satellite […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatCan data show smaller Canadian canola, durum production

Report also logs more barley, oats than previous estimates

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers grew less canola and durum than originally thought in 2022, but more barley and oats, according to updated production estimates from Statistics Canada released Friday. “There were both bullish and bearish surprises,” MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said. While canola production of 18.174 million tonnes was still up considerably from the […] Read more


A soybean crop at Headingley, Man. on Sept. 2, 2021. StatsCan’s latest estimates project drought-hit Manitoba’s soybean production to drop by 22.2 per cent from 2021, while Canada’s soybean harvest overall is expected down 7.4 per cent on the year. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie crops downgraded in latest StatsCan estimates

Corn, soybean crops upsized from previous report

MarketsFarm — Drought conditions across Canada’s Prairies cut into yields throughout the region in 2021, with production of most of the major crops downgraded by Statistics Canada in updated crop estimates released Tuesday. Using satellite imagery, the government agency now sees total canola production for the 2021-22 crop year at 12.78 million tonnes, which compares […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canada’s canola production likely to be cut further

MarketsFarm — Barely two weeks after Statistics Canada projected 2021-22 canola production to come in around 14.7 million tonnes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast the Canadian oilseed crop to be about 14 million tonnes. Now, a few days after USDA’s supply and demand estimates, Statistics Canada is already set to update its Aug. 30 […] Read more

(JBSs.infoinvest.com.br)

Brazil’s JBS says it uses satellites to monitor cattle suppliers

Sao Paulo | Reuters — The world’s largest meatpacker JBS SA is closely monitoring the origin of the cattle it buys in Brazil amid heightened concerns about environmental preservation and sustainable business practices, its CEO said Wednesday. Speaking at an industry event in Sao Paulo, JBS CEO Gilberto Tomazoni said the company is using satellite […] Read more



(Image courtesy Farmers Edge)

Self-checking field health mapping system launched

The farmer’s job of poring over satellite field maps looking for disease, weed and insect trouble is about to go automatic. Winnipeg-based digital ag consulting firm Farmers Edge recently released Health Change Maps and Notifications, a new function that automatically scans the company’s daily satellite imagery and alerts growers of any changes in field health […] Read more