Greg Peters

The dataset maps U.S. vegetation height (top). Bottom panels highlight its 0.6-meter resolution, comparing imagery (left) with the model scaled to show tall trees (center) and shorter shrubs (right). Researchers from the University of Montana and Working Lands for Wildlife have released a new open-access dataset that maps vegetation structure at sub-meter resolution across the contiguous United States.

Across the globe, livestock grazing is one of the predominant land uses, covering 25% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface. Well-managed grazing not only provides food and fiber but is also compatible with the production of numerous ecosystem services like wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, and more. Yet, grazing, especially in the western United States, relies on a legacy technology from the 1800’s – fencing. Fencing is costly for people and animals.

This Friday meet Carlos Alberto Pérez Pérez, an agronomist and third-generation dairy farmer in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. His farm, Hato Don Benja, is named in honor of his grandfather who started a dairy farm in 1974 and raised the family around it. Carlos’ father followed in his footsteps and now Carlos is committed to continuing the legacy. Carlos Alberto Pérez Pérez is an agronomist and third-generation dairy farmer. Photo by Némesis Ortiz Declet, NRCS.