![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/uNeVWi3TDKih0WSCaxVv_01_VS_080118_Cover_DGTL-300x225.png\")
\t\t\t<\/p>\nThere are several large orchards and tree farms scattered among the hills at the eastern edge of Pennsylvania along the Delaware River \u2014 managed and maintained by the same family and the same set of rules for more than 150 years. The rules to farming in the region may or may not be written down or archived. They are, essentially, based on visual information, processed through years of experience and instinct. For example, a pair of human eyes observes the yellowing leaves of a walnut tree, and a diagnosis of Thousand Cankers Disease is reached even before fingers get a chance to touch and process the soft, dark spots inside its withering limbs. This is a disease created by a fungus carried by tiny, burrowing Walnut Twig Beetles, which the human eye can only see up close. The human eye can\u2019t zoom out to see the larger swarm of beetles, or observe the direction they are moving, or produce a time-lapse slideshow of images that display the larger environmental impact of the blight. <\/p>\n
One Eastern Pennsylvania farmer in the region says the condition of tree crowns are often the first visible signs of poor health or disease. \u201cIt\u2019s more likely you\u2019ll see discolored leaves and thinning foliage before you ever notice the insect causing the problem,\u201d he says, pulling out his smartphone and swiping through pictures of tree tops taken at a curious overhead angle. \u201cI took these photos from a drone. My son bought me one a couple of years ago and I now use about three or four to keep an eye on the orchards.\u201d The farmer asked not to be named for the story because he hasn\u2019t yet registered his drones with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). When asked if he had ever used or considered using satellite imagery or sensing technology to monitor his fields, he says he hasn\u2019t heard much about the technology, other than Google Maps, but adds that he wouldn\u2019t be opposed to using data analytics to manage his farm. \u201cFarmers may have a reputation for sticking with the old, but we constantly have to modernize and evolve to stay afloat,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s even more important now with the weather changing. It\u2019s early June, we\u2019re in the mountains and its 100 degrees for the third day in a row. I can\u2019t say that I know how that\u2019s going to play out.\u201d Approximately 40 percent of the United States is made up of farmland. Environmental uncertainty of this size and scale can have a crippling effect on even the most robust economies. How can satellites help manage those uncertainties? Some would say through good, old-fashioned research and disruptive engineering. Multispectral cameras on satellites are now powerful enough to monitor crop production, evaluate developments and shifts in the physical environment, and produce highly focused weather forecasts with incredible detail. By saving farms and helping to manage and preserve our natural environment, satellites may also be responsible for saving millions (and potentially billions) of human lives.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t