In a 1-hour webinar available on-demand through CTIC's website, Dr. Roderick Rejesus of North Carolina State University described how he used OpTIS data to explore whether crop insurance programs discourage growers from planting cover crops.

 

The webinar, recorded live on April 29, is part of a six-webinar series coordinated by CTIC over the next two years. The April program also features Soren Rundquist of Regrow Ag and CTIC's Dave Gustafson describing updates in the algorithm and coverage area of OpTIS.

 

The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) uses a proprietary algorithm to analyze satellite imagery to identify winter cover crops and crop residue levels. Data are available from 2005 to 2020 and may be queried free at the HUC8 or Crop Reporting District level across a range of commodity crop rotations.

 

OpTIS data have also been run through the De-Nitrification/DeComposition model to provide estimates of the impact of cover crop and tillage adoption trends on carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen cycling.

 

A sophisticated visualization tool on the CTIC website allows users to explore OpTIS data and DNDC modeling results deeply, varying timeframes, crop rotations and geography. Visit ctic.org/OpTIS to access the webinar and learn more.