Operational Tillage Information System

Operational Tillage Information System

Tim Hammerich
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

A collaboration between groups like Regrow, the Conservation Technology Information Center, and The Nature Conservancy, is providing a clearer picture of farmer adoption of soil conservation practices. Bill Salas of Regrow says the automated system is the first of its kind to really look at conservation tillage, cover crops, and other soil health practices.

Salas… “The whole idea behind OpTIS or the Operational Tillage Information System is saying, okay, how do we do this at scale? Because we really want to use remote sensing to expand this information, be it synoptically. We could also do more temporal revisit, understanding what's happening in the landscape.”

OpTIS uses remote sensing data to map tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices.

Salas… “ If you can measure what's happening on the landscape, you can actually develop better management strategies to help agriculture in its conservation journey. And that remote sensing based products that are reasonably accurate can really help inform strategies and evaluate strategies that are implemented on the ground. So it's both for maybe targeting programs, but also how do you evaluate the efficacy of a program? You go in and incentivize conservation practices for a period of time. If you can monitor that landscape afterwards, you can then evaluate, you know, was your theory of change correct? Or how can you adjust your theory of change to help incentivize expansion of conservation?”

The makers hope the data collected will validate sustainability claims, guide policy, and direct resources to farmers.

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