Responding to Future Biofuel/Grain Needs - The Role of Geospatial Technologies.

Sustainably meeting the demand for biofuel and the increasing global demand for grain will require cropping systems that provide cultural environments where the full genetic potential of crops can be realized while having minimal offsite negative impacts on the environment, or even positive net impacts. The spatial variability within and among management units coupled with high crop value and input costs create a venue of opportunity for geospatial technologies. Substantial genetic changes in pest protection, drought stress tolerance, and nutrient efficiency have either occurred or are on the horizon. These modified plants will be grown in a climate likely deviating from historical norms and with access to advanced fertilizer sources and sensing and application technology. And, future objectives of crop and soil management may differ from those in the past due to demand for crops with specific end-use traits and incentives for carbon sequestration in soils. These changes all suggest that future management decisions will need to be more measurement based rather than historical, indicating an increased role for geospatial measurements and reaction. Finally, it seems highly likely that credible cropping system performance indicators will be of significant value to growers dependent on adaptive management for improving system effectiveness and for participation in government programs. Geospatial technologies have much to offer in the measurement and management of data-intensive sets of performance indicators.