Three years ago, George Vellidis, an agricultural engineer at the University of Georgia in Tifton, was speaking to an electrical engineering colleague who was working for the military to develop radio frequency identification (RFID)-equipped "smart dust" that could be sprinkled on battlefields to gain information. She planted a seed in his head: Could the same technology used to find wandering pets and cattle and keep tabs on cars in the EZ Pass lane be used to help farmers water their crops?
To decide irrigation schedules, "most farmers look for the weather forecast on television, see rain, [and say] 'I'll hold off for a day or two ... or look for signs of crops being wilted,'" says Vellidis. But such imprecision often translates into less-than-optimal yield, especially with the climate changes in recent decades.
"All over the world," says Vellidis, "weather patterns are becoming erratic and people cannot depend on predictable ...
