K-State, NASA highlight satellite technology for Kansas farms at Flickner Innovation Farm

Scientists and officials from NASA stopped by the Flickner Innovation Farm in late August to check in on the progress of a partnership that is helping to shape the future of space-based tools for agriculture.

The event — part of NASA's "Space for Ag" tour — brought together researchers, farmers, extension specialists, policymakers and NASA scientists to explore how satellite data can help producers manage water, improve crop health and plan for long-term sustainability.

"This unique collaboration brings NASA's space-based capabilities and satellite data together with K-State's ability to test that information under real-world farm conditions," said Hans Coetzee, vice president for research at Kansas State University. "Water, soil health and agricultural resilience are wicked problems. They are too complex for any one discipline or institution to solve, so progress depends on bringing the right people, knowledge and capabilities together."

Flickner collaboration 'natural fit' for K-State to connect research with Kansas farm needs

The Flickner Innovation Farm, operated by Ray Flickner and his son Ryan, serves as a living laboratory where researchers and industry partners evaluate a wide range of agricultural innovations, including space-based technologies. The fifth-generation family farm is experimenting with advanced farming technologies, water conservation methods and data-driven decision tools.

Coetzee said the partnership is a natural fit for a land-grant institution whose mission is to connect university research with real-world decision making on Kansas farms.

"Producers make critical decisions every day about water, fertilizer, soil health and risk," he said. "Working with producers in a real-world environment allows us to determine whether these new technologies are practical, refine them based on what we learn and help move useful knowledge into the field."

NASA tour explores Kansas farms, builds partnerships with local producers

Karen St. Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science division, said the Space for Ag tour is designed to close the gap between what satellites can see from orbit and what farmers need in their fields. Prior to the stop in Moundridge, she and her team also visited farms in Texas and Oklahoma.

"These trips are really about building partnerships and learning from one another so that we can bring all of the power of our satellites, that unique perspective and the unique data we get from space, and bring it to bear right here on family farms in Kansas," St. Germain said.

NASA's Earth Science missions measure many aspects of the planet, she said, including how water moves from underground aquifers, through precipitation and into the atmosphere — information that is critical in water-limited regions like western and central Kansas.

"We also have satellites that measure structure," St. Germain said. "We can measure above-ground biomass. We can measure the health of crops and crop types. We can see damage when a derecho — a fast-moving windstorm — comes through."

WATCH: Space for Ag tour brings NASA, K-State scientists to Flickner Innovation Farm

"In all these ways, when we bring that data to bear, it can do everything from help a producer better manage their water resources to getting damage assessments out quickly so people get their insurance checks faster."

Partnership helps farmers protect every precious drop of water with innovative tools

Susan Metzger, director of the Kansas Water Institute at K-State, said this year's visit is a follow-up to one in 2022 when NASA and K-State launched work at the Flickner Innovation Farm.

"Through this Space for Ag tour and our partnership with NASA, we're focused on getting the tools NASA has to offer into farmers' hands more quickly so that satellite data can inform the decisions they have to make today," Metzger said.

For example, she adds, "When water is limited, every drop you apply to your crop is precious," she said. "If farmers know that they can perhaps not apply that inch of water next week based on really great precision forecasting, that's an inch of water they can save for later in the season, for a future crop or preserved in the aquifer."

These trips are really about building partnerships and learning from one another so that we can bring all of the power of our satellites, that unique perspective and the unique data we get from space, and bring it to bear right here on family farms in Kansas."

Flickner said one of the most valuable tools developed as a result of the partnership with NASA has been OpenET, which uses satellite data to estimate evapotranspiration — essentially how much water crops use.

"I've been using that to determine what I'm using in terms of water usage and what my neighbors are using," he said. "From a macro standpoint, in terms of water use, it's been useful to see where we rate."

Innovation farm, strengthened by partnerships, is testing ground for area farmers

The innovation farm also plays a broader educational role. Flickner said he and his late wife Susan launched the concept with the hope that other farmers could learn from both the successes and failures of on-farm experiments.

"We're kind of a testing ground," he said. "We've had several things that have worked and several things that haven't worked, but that's part of the deal. Hopefully we are educating area farmers. A number of farmers have come to me and said that they have incorporated some of the things that we talked about in previous field days into their operation."

Dan Moser, dean of K-State's College of Agriculture, said NASA's investment in satellite technology is paying dividends on farms like Flickner's — and, ultimately, on grocery store shelves.

"It's really exciting to learn about the partnerships between K-State research, our extension programs and, in this case, NASA," Moser said. "They've been a fabulous partner, providing some technology, imaging, satellite and other types of information that Kansas producers and K-State researchers are putting to use to add efficiency to food production."

Moser said he often thinks about what his grandfathers would say if they could see today's farm machinery, sensors and data tools.

"It is really staggering," he said. "Ultimately, that leads to a safer, more reliable, more affordable food supply for Americans and all over the world."

St. Germain said NASA's partnership with American agriculture dates back more than 50 years to the launch of the first Landsat satellite in 1972 amid a global food crisis.

"What's really new and dynamic here is the face-to-face interactions, getting out in the fields, and asking farmers questions like, 'What are the hardest decisions you have to make in a growing season? When do you have to make them? And what is that information that, if you had it at your fingertips, might really make a difference?'" she said.

'This is absolutely the future': NASA partnership will continue to advance Kansas agriculture

Looking ahead, NASA and K-State leaders emphasize that the work is just beginning.

"This partnership with NASA fits so squarely with the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan, as well as our land-grant mission," Metzger said. "We know that this is not only today. This is absolutely the future."

St. Germain agreed, noting that NASA continues to launch new missions — including advanced radar and upcoming hyperspectral imagers — that will reveal plant health and disease signals from space long before they are visible in the field.

"I am really excited for the future of this partnership," she said. "Every year, we're bringing new capabilities online. These conversations with Kansas farmers actually inform the next satellite that's going to be deployed, so that it can continue to be more and more useful."

The tour was organized with support from NASA and NASA Acres, the organization's U.S.-focused agriculture consortium, which connects NASA Earth science, data and technology with farmers, researchers and agricultural organizations to strengthen the productivity, competitiveness and resilience of American agriculture.