DICK RAHDERT introduced fellow Rotarian CHRIS JOHANNSEN, whose topic was “GPS and Other Technologies for Agriculture”. In 1966 a laboratory for remote sensing (LARS) was established at Purdue. Several projects included collaboration with the Universities of Michigan and California as well as USDA. After it was decided that corn blight could be tracked by satellites, both NASA and USDA conducted joint projects.

With the need for GPS to track tanks in Iraq during Desert Storm in 1991, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were developed. Precision Agriculture began using both system about 25 years ago. In the past a field was the main unit for a farmer. The whole field was thought to have the same soil types, drainage, etc. With new technology, it was clear that conditions vary within a field, requiring different inputs for maximum yields. Site specific farming became possible with GPS management. Chris had photos of several fields to show how remote sensing can be used to solve problems.

JIM'S THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
“Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other.  They do not exchange ideas, they exchange images.  They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities, and commercials.”  ~ Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

JANE'S CORNER:
Last week GORDON COPPOC generously recorded the program given by Dr. Michael Rossmann.  There were several members who were not able to be present who might be interested in the process Rossmann’s team went through to crack the cold virus.  The video is available at this site:   https://youtu.be/JyIHbLU3SYc

Thanks again to GORDON for making this possible!