Landowner Know-How

Brian Thompson loves to fly, and he loves to farm. With aerial photography, he gets to do both, while creating a detailed management plan for his 2,200-acre corn, soybean and wheat farm in Seymour, Ind.

"It's real helpful to get that different perspective," says Thompson of the images he creates.

Thompson, who flies a two-passenger airplane, takes to the air with his digital camera every 10 days to photograph his fields. "You can see things you can't see from the ground," he says. "Aerial observation doesn't replace footwork, but it's another avenue of getting information."

During planting, Thompson primarily uses the images to make observations about surface water. After planting, the photos help him spot problem areas before they cost him yield. Near harvest, he uses the images mostly as an indicator of whether cornstalks are breaking or soybean plants are falling over.

Aerial imagery and agriculture have been linked for decades. The USDA has been using these images for more than 65 years, from planes, helicopters, balloons and even kites. And for those not as adventurous as Thompson, many images are available online and through businesses specializing in aerial photography.

Here's what a view from the top can do for you today:

Help buy and sell land. "Aerial photos are standard now when it comes to selling land," says Brian Randy Funk from Raleigh, N.C.-based TerraServer, a web site specializing in aerial imagery. He says aerial photos let potential buyers see the property and its size—as well as areas surrounding the property—without ever visiting the land itself.

Appraise land values. John Townsend, a rural appraiser from Paris, Tenn., says aerial images are important to his business. The sky view helps appraisers differentiate where cropland, woods, water sources and pastures are located. They can also help determine the classes of soil on a property.

Determine crop health. Farmer Brian Thompson says it is easier to look at the "big picture" when determining the health of a crop. "A lot of things are hard to see from a short distance while walking," he says. But the color of the crop from the sky can help to gauge overall health. The view can even give an idea of plants per acre and the evenness of plant pollination across a field.

Drainage and weed issues, as well as physical crop damage, can also be spotted easily from the sky.

Plan the growing season. Aerial photos are a great asset for planning future crop production or rotations.

Aerial images can serve even more purposes when they are infrared or used with overlays. Infrared images allow more observations of drought stress, root compaction and water content, says Thompson. The GPS overlay makes it easy to find specific areas on the farmland, which is especially helpful in unfamiliar areas.

"As crops get more valuable, every square acre of field becomes more valuable. We use all the assets we can to get production where it needs to be," Thompson says.

Imagery resources

In addition to his own digital photos, Brian Thompson uses Google Earth as a resource. He says that without evolving technologies like this, none of his work with aerial imaging would be possible. "It's instant and accurate and clear, and that's the difference." For aerial photos online, check out these sites:

USDA Aerial Photography*
www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/apfoapp?area=home& subject=prod&topic=landing

Google Earth
earth.google.com

Bureau of Land Management*
www.blm.gov/nstc/aerial

AgriData*
www.agridatainc.com

*Paid sites