NASA and USDA Expand Earth-Data Partnership for American Agriculture

NASA and USDA are expanding their Earth-data partnership to improve crop monitoring, agricultural estimates, and assessments of drought and other disasters.

NASA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have agreed to expand their use of Earth-observation data and analytical tools to support American agriculture, according to a NASA release published October 26.

The memorandum was signed October 24 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It builds on existing research and data-sharing between the agencies.

Planned areas of cooperation include crop monitoring, acreage and yield estimates, and assessments of drought and other disasters. The agencies also intend to explore better ways to manage large datasets. These are objectives of the agreement; the announcement does not report measured improvements in farm yields or disaster forecasts.

Source: NASA announcement, October 26, 2026. This original summary is a test publication.

Featured photo: USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at the October 24 signing. Credit: NASA. Used for factual editorial coverage under NASA media guidelines; no endorsement implied.