NASA Acres Farm Innovation Ambassador Team
Why This Matters
Building success for U.S. agriculture means working with farmers and keeping them at the center of what we do. Upending the traditional research model of studies about agriculture, through the NASA Acres Farm Innovation Ambassador Team we instead build impactful applications development with U.S. farmers and ranchers.
Mission Statement
NASA Acres Farm Innovation Ambassador Team (FIAT) aims to unite farmer members and NASA Acres researchers in the development and use of satellite Earth observation (EO) data, products and models to support producers in their decision-making processes. This aligns with NASA Acres' mission to create impactful, science-based tools for the benefit of US agriculture.
Overarching Goals
FIAT is a mechanism to bridge and overcome the disconnect between farmers and their information needs and concerns, and researchers and their satellite data capabilities. FIAT is an evolving network of “early-adopter” farmers, crop consultants, researchers, and others with “boots-on-the-ground” who want to work together to make satellite data for agriculture an implementable reality. FIAT projects comprise farmer(s) and NASA Acres researchers
Operating Model
Collaborative Co-Creation Approach: Increase knowledge sharing, break down silos (across sectors and disciplines), and build deeper partnerships between the agriculture and research communities.
Strong Communication (Simple and Direct): Clearly communicate the capabilities of NASA technology, timeline for implementation and funding needs, and clearly define a strategic direction (a North Star) for the initiative.
Action-oriented and Purpose-driven Decision Making: Create lasting, positive impacts on agriculture that improve profitability, competitiveness, resource efficiency, and sustainability.
Quality is Paramount: In a world of “quick fixes,” what NASA can provide is unparalleled and uncompromising quality that by virtue of our public mandate belongs to the American people.
This is a living document as we develop and learn from our successes and challenges in undertaking this novel collaboration framework
FIAT Timeline
Who is on the Farm Innovation Ambassador Team?
FIAT as a Program comprises both farmers and researchers. The work of FIAT is “Farm Innovation,” but the engine behind FIAT are the engaged “Farm Innovation Ambassador Team Members.” FIAT Members participate in a program of activities that will advance Members along a “tiered approach”, each building upon the prior as experience, engagement, and effort in the program increase. The purpose of this approach is to slowly onboard farmers into the NASA Acres system of innovation and build out their fluency with remote sensing, while in parallel supporting the NASA Acres researcher community to build out their fluency with on-farm research, develop relationships with farmers, and eventually launch projects. Below, we acknowledge the most engaged members in the FIAT program, although as specified in the FIAT Charter, there are other ways to participate and start your journey with FIAT!
FIAT Program Steering Committee
I am a soybean, rice, and wheat farmer from Northeast Arkansas. We also have a family seed business and ag research/plant breeding program. We implement many conservation practices on our farm including tailwater recovery reservoir systems and cover crops. I am the past President of the American Soybean Association and continue to serve on the board. I am also active with Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Ag Council, USA Rice, Solutions from the Land, and the Arkansas Soybean Association. Arkansas State University B.S. in Ag Business '95, M.S.A. in Agronomy '01.
Dwane Roth is a former fourth-generation farmer from Western Kansas. Having recently completed a successful succession plan, Dwane has transitioned the family farm to his nephews, ensuring the future of agriculture in the region. A staunch advocate for conservation farming practices, Dwane understands that water availability, soil health, and innovative crop rotation techniques are pivotal for the success of irrigated and non-irrigated crops. His commitment to these principles not only preserves vital resources but also enhances the resilience and productivity of the land.
Jocelyn Anderson is a fourth-generation almond and walnut farmer. She works alongside her father managing her family farm and operates a walnut huller during harvest. Jocelyn has been very involved in Young Farmers & Ranchers and Farm Bureau, statewide and nationally with American Farm Bureau. She currently serves as President of Glenn County Farm Bureau and is a Board Member of California Resource Conservation District. She also participates on the California Walnuts Sustainability Committee and is a Farmer Envoy for Solutions from the Land, which focuses on bringing farmers to international discussions on sustainability, water and climate smart agriculture.
John is a farmer from Champaign County Illinois. Past President and Chairman of GROWMARK Inc, a Farmer owned cooperative. Sponsors a NOAA research site that cooperates with many agencies and Universities to better understand the relationship between farming and climate.
Dr. Kent Martin owns and operates a 6th generation family farm and ranch operation in Oklahoma. He also owns and operates a specialized agricultural consulting company that focuses on land reclamation and fertilizer product development. He was formerly a research and extension professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University. Kent's research efforts focused on remote sensing and nutrient management. He has served as chairman and board of directors on the United Sorghum Checkoff Program and is currently serving on the board of directors for National Sorghum Producers.
I raise grass fed and finished cattle, cotton, wheat and sorghum. I come from a long line of ranchers that married into row crop production. Agriculture is my life!
I am a Benton County Iowa Corn and Red Angus Cattle farmer. I am the past President of Iowa Corn Growers Association. I'm involved in several research projects which include, corn traits, ethanol liquid fuel projects, and Avail which is a project with Iowa Corn and NASA.
I am a fourth-generation rice farmer and partner at Isbell Farms and Generation Farms, located in central Arkansas. Isbell Farm's specializes in the production of high-quality sake rice. I currently serve on the Board of Field to Market (https://fieldtomarket.org/) and the Board of Ag Heritage Farm Credit Services and am a co-founder of Arva Intelligence (arvaintelligence.com). I also serve as an adjunct instructor (1 class per semester) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Ray Flickner is a 5th-generation Kansas farmer. His diverse career includes teaching and working in agricultural finance; today, Ray focuses on sustainable farming practices. He owns and operates the Flickner Innovation Farm, which partners with university researchers and industry leaders to test conservation methods. Ray was a member of the Kansas Water Authority, and he served on the Groundwater Management District (GMD2) board of directors. Currently, he is a member of the Little Ark Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies stakeholder leadership team. Ray has received numerous awards for conservation, including the Kansas Natural Resources Award and the Leopold Conservation Award.
FIAT Program Leadership
Alyssa is a Research Professor in Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland. She is the founding Executive Director of NASA Acres, which grew out of 18 years of remote sensing experience focused mainly on agriculture, food security, and sustainability. She has held leadership roles in multiple international initiatives, most notably as Programme Scientist for GEOGLAM, a G20 program that uses satellite data to promote food security. She co-leads the Farm Innovation Ambassador Team (FIAT), which grew in part out of her experience as a winery kid in California.
Ignacio is a Professor, quantitative agronomist, in the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University. He is a Director for a Digital Ag Institute and for the Digital Decision Agriculture (D2Ag) international consortium within the Feed the Future Climate Resilient Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (CRSIIL) funded by USAID. His research program is focused on studying agricultural farming systems, utilizing review and synthesis-analyses procedures, using data science, crop modeling, and remote sensing approaches.
Related Resources & Projects
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