On a cloudless day at a farm in Portland, Michigan, Bruno Basso inspects rows of small, leafy green plants that will eventually grow into towering cornstalks. He turns and tells Jeff Sandborn, who runs the farm, that the soon-to-be crops look great.
Over the past decade, Basso and his research team at Michigan State University have worked with Sandborn to help make farming decisions that will lead to better outcomes for crops.
Basso, a John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor in the colleges of Natural Science and Agriculture and Natural Resources, travels the world searching for solutions and insights that advance sustainable agriculture. Some of his best opportunities for research, however, occur in Michigan at locations like Sandborn Farms.
“Michigan is the state with the second most diverse agriculture after California,” Basso says, listing off crops like corn, soybeans, potatoes, cherries, apples and more. “Working in Michigan and the experiments on sites, it really helps become a window for neighboring farms throughout the state and beyond.”
Basso wants to feed the world while also protecting the environment, and he’s in the right place. MSU is known for attracting scientists like Basso who collaborate to develop innovative solutions in crop science, sustainable agriculture and food security, and the university ranks among the top 20 globally for agriculture.
Using technology like drones and satellites to measure crop health and combining data from the soil and climate, Basso and his team can better advise farmers based on the information they glean.