Detecting Crop Diseases & Paiute Tribe Request

Detecting Crop Diseases & Paiute Tribe Request. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

The armed occupation remains firmly entrenched in Oregon's Harney County. The Burn Paiute Tribe is asking the state Attorney General to end free passage to the occupiers. In a written statement the tribe criticized officials saying quote; "law enforcement officials have allowed the militants to freely move in and out of the Refuge headquarters and off the Refuge itself." During a press conference Burns Paiute tribal council member Jarvis Kennedy asked a question.

KENNEDY: What if it was a bunch of natives that went out there and overtook that or any federal land. What would the outcome be? Think about that. What would happen? Would they into town get supplies and re-up? We as Harney County residents don't need some clown to come in here and stand up for us. This community is hard working. We made something out of nothing here. We don't got no jobs here. We don't need them to back us up. We survived with out them before and we'll survive without them when they're gone.

Idaho State University has been doing research using a drone to be able to detect crop diseases in potato fields. The researchers use high-tech cameras mounted to drones and are able to detect individual diseased and stressed plants in addition, thanks to advanced sensors, the researchers could differentiate between diseases. The research is continuing on how to more quickly identify the diseases so producers can take appropriate actions.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.