Nebraska Farmer – Thermal Imaging of Crops
Mar 2013

Lincoln, Nebraska – March 1, 2013 – Cornerstone Mapping’s owner, Aaron Schepers is featured on the cover of the March issue of Nebraska Farmer Magazine.  An article about using the latest thermal imaging technology to help farmers detect irrigation issues in crops, Aaron talks about how farmers can catch an irrigation problem early in the growing season and minimize yield loss by fixing the problem. 

Center-pivot irrigation issues readily apparent in a seed corn field.

The mid-season heat detection of crops is a way to monitor irrigation; identify malfunctions, fix clogged nozzles, and assess irrigation system performance.  When a crop does not have enough water it will produce a heat signature that can be captured in a thermal image from the air.  If the crop is under water stress the yield will be reduced.  Reduced yield costs money. Thermal imagery can be used to detect the heat signature of stressed plants.  Fixing an issue in-season reduces yield loss this year and future years, until the malfunction is fixed.

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