Bushel Farm provides multi-spectral satellite Imagery for your fields year round:
- 1 image every 2 weeks
- 10 meter resolution
Imagery is presented in Vegetative Index (NDVI) and True Color. This imagery combination allows you to detect unknown yield threats, observe trends, as well as identify and define potential problems to fix before next season, or during the current season.
Vegetative Index (NDVI):
NDVI (Normalized Differential Vegetative Index) imagery helps you see how crops are growing throughout the season, relative to other parts of the same field or compared to other fields. NDVI is a false color representation of a mathematical equation estimating the amount of biomass. Biomass is plant matter. A lower NDVI value means less biomass (bare soil on the low end) and a higher value means more biomass (full plant canopy at the high end).
Cloud cover in vegetative imagery can give the impression that part of the field has less vegetation than ground truth represents. If you identify a potential problem area on NDVI imagery, compare the image to the True Color image to determine if what you're seeing is cloud cover before scouting.
NDVI imagery has two modes, Vegetation and Max Variability. The Vegetation mode is the default mode and can be used to compare images over time. Max Variability mode is designed to emphasize variability in a single image and is not to be used when comparing one image to another. The color scale used to represent the different levels of biomass in Max mode is specific to that particular image.
Here is an example of the same image in Vegetation and Max Variability mode:
True Color:
In-season True Color imagery allows you to see your field as you would with your own eyes if you had the same perspective as the camera that took the photo. It can increase the value of Normalized Difference Vegetation Indexing (NDVI) when you compare the two images. True Color pulls out identifiable features in the field that you can use as a reference and helps you identify clouds that could otherwise be mistaken for low vegetation in an NDVI image. It can also provide you with insight about natural field variability, which can include:
- water stress
- nutrient deficiencies
- topography
- soil quality
Satellite Imagery is included in the Bushel Farm Business and Essentials plan or as an add-on feature. Learn more about Bushel Farm plans and pricing here.
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