By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS – Corteva Agriscience, with its global business center located on Zionsville Road in Indianapolis, is unveiling LANDVisor, a new integrated technology solution that allows ranchers and land managers to implement a customized solution for accomplishing land management goals. LANDVisor has been in the testing phase for four years and has included many ranches in the Southwest.

LANDVisor combines sophisticated imagery and data analytics with expert management advice to help increase land productivity. The technology provides detailed information on forage productivity and vegetation, including the density of desirable and undesirable plant species. By doing this, it will help identify when and where herbicide treatments will be most beneficial.

The concept was first tested (with success) on large ranches in Texas, working with ranchers who are dealing with pesky mesquite, a very invasive weed.

 “LANDVisor’s first uses are on Western and Southwestern ranch land,” said Damon Palmer, Pasture and Land Management Business Leader at Corteva Agriscience. “Ranchers out west have really unique challenges going on, and one of those is dealing with a vast landscape and troublesome honey mesquite. When you think about the size of some of those ranches and all that terrain with the different elevations it’s quite challenging. With the LANDVisor imagery, the feedback from these ranchers is they can see their land like they’ve never seen it before. Eventually, it may reach the Midwest and its type of agriculture.”

Ah, that would be ideal since Midwest farmers have their hands full dealing with the likes of honeysuckle, chickweed, pigweed and Palmer Amaranth, just to name a few.

 “Land managers and ranchers care about all their resources, and they manage all of them for both environmental and economic sustainability,” Palmer said. “LANDVisor gives them confidence that they are making optimum decisions. Providing customers with the latest integrated technology to sustainability manage their resources and maximize productivity is key to ensuring progress.”

LANDVisor allows producers to manage land for optimal productivity and environmental outcomes. Through key insights, this tool helps land managers make more informed decisions on the potential of their land, resulting in maximum return on investment.

“Left unchecked, low-value undesirable vegetation reduces forage production and profit potential for livestock grazers while also degrading wildlife habitat,” Palmer said. “What makes this technology so special is we’ve been serving ranchers and vegetation managers for decades and we’re bringing all this historical and technological knowledge with regards to vegetation management and land management. LANDVisor brings the latest digital precision technology to all this experience.

“Not only does LANDVisor give producers the ability to target their investment where it will provide the greatest production and environmental benefits, but it also extends the expert relationships with consultants with Corteva Range and Pasture specialists through progress tracking.”

In early 2020, LANDVisor will be available to ranchers and land managers in the Southwest to manage highly invasive honey mesquite. As a significant consumer of water, honey mesquite outcompetes native grasses and desirable woody plants, reducing both forage production for cattle and plant diversity for wildlife.

And for those wanting assistance in dealing with weeds common to the Midwest? That time may soon come.

 “The Southwest was our launching pad with LANDVisor,” Palmer said. “Eventually, it may reach the Midwest’s agriculture.”

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LANDVisor 1 – LANDVisor, a new technology from Corteva Agriscience, is now used in the American Southwest. It maps soil types, targets plant density and other information to help plan brush spraying. (photo provided)

LANDVisor 2 -- LANDVisor, with its sophisticated imagery, allows farmers and ranchers to see just where to apply herbicide to their grounds. (photo provided)