A fifth-generation farmer from the Salina area says technology and data collection in agriculture is improving decision-making and operations. The comments came during a U.S. Senate committee hearing last week on the utilization of data in farming. Justin Knopf grows wheat, alfalfa, soybeans and other crops across a 4500-acre farm in Gypsum. He’s also the vice president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. He testified about the increasing use of drones and satellite imagery to collect data from the farm. "It’s just a better, more efficient precise way to collect data across a wide scale," he said. Knopf uses equipment for seeding, spraying and harvesting that collects data on what’s being done or happening in the field. He said the quality and the quantity of data in agriculture, and its importance, is driving the improvement of farming practices and its value will only continue to grow. “It is vital that our stakeholders and collaborators work alongside our public research
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