b'S T R A T E G Y A featured segment designed to help you in the realm of retail seed sales. Digital Agriculture is Helping Mitigatethe Effects of Extreme WeatherFrom drones to other technologies that enable us to see things in the field that weve never been able to see before, digital advancements are helping our industry cope with climate change.Marc ZienkiewiczIN RECENT YEARS,wildfire, drone crews can work the increasing frequencyalongside firefighting teams to and severity of wildfires andassess fire lines, breaches, and extreme weather events havehidden hotspots that may be posed significant challenges forchallenging to detect from the both wildfire mitigation effortsground or via traditional aerial and the agricultural industry.methods. Thermal imaging However, innovative tech- technology on drones is par-nologies such as drones areticularly useful for identifying emerging as powerful tools inhotspots, especially at night.addressing these challenges. 3. Active Equipment Draganfly, a Saskatoon,Delivery: Drones are now Sask.-based company, wasbeing used to deliver essen- Kevin Falk is the North AmericaAustin Dobbels is a Syngenta recently awarded a multi-yeartial firefighting equipment,field modernization scientistcorn breeding project specialist wildfire mitigation servicessuch as shovels, hoses, gasfor Corteva Agriscience. in Illinois.contract to deploy special- cans, water, and medical sup-ized technology and droneplies, quickly and efficiently, pilot crews to detect and mapreducing response times and wildfires and hotspots acrossincreasing overall effective-British Columbia. Theres alsoness, according to Chell.a huge amount of interest4. Suppression from United States officials inTechniques: Soon, drones will Draganflys technology. be working in swarms to carry According to Draganflyout suppression efforts by CEO Cameron Chell, dronesdropping retardants and pel-play a vital role in four keylets, enhancing the firefighting areas related to wildfires: arsenal.1. Preventative Measures:Kevin Falk, North America Drones can be employedfield modernization scien-to collect valuable data fortist for Corteva Agriscience,Cameron Chell is the CEO ofJim Ethington serves as CEO predicting and preventingpoints out that smoke fromDraganfly. of Arable based in San wildfires, he says. By moni- wildfires can significantlyFrancisco, CA.toring and assessing environ- affect crop growth and yield, mental conditions, drones canreducing the sunlight available help identify potential fire risksto plants.in advance. Research suggests that 2. Active Wildfirethe impact on crops from Management: During arecent smoky conditions 46/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2024'