Space Age Technology Comes to Earth


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Activity Procedures

Review with students the segment about precision agriculture and global positioning they watched previously in the video/DVD Connecting to Agriculture. How does this technology help farmers and ranchers? How does the technology affect the price of food and clothing? Does GIS/GPS help the environment? Try out the following GPS/GIS activity with your students.
Activity: Range Rambler GIS, Software Simulation
Access the “Range Rambler” computer program either online (streaming from the web) at http://extension.usu.edu/aitc/teachers/secondary/enter_ games.cfm or by purchasing the media from the same site and installing the program on your lab computers. Utah teachers will receive a password for free access. Request this password 24 hours prior to accessing the site. Demonstrate how to use the “Range Rambler” program by completing one field task, preferably using an LCD projector. Speakers are also required. If only one computer is available for the activity, invite a student to complete each new task and then complete the worksheet, as outlined below, as a class. If you have a computer lab, proceed with the following activity.


Additional Activities
Geocache Ag Bags:
1. You are a farmer and want to know the current price for potatoes. Go to the USDA Market News page at http://ams.usda.gov/ foodserv/index.htm and find out the price for a 100 lb. sack (1- cwt).
2. Sound waves are used to determine the amount of back fat on a hog. Find out how this technology works and how much this unit will cost. (rencocorpleanmeater.htm)
3. You are a vegetable farmer. Go to a commodities market and find out the price for lettuce. (http://ams.usda.gov/foodserv)
4. There is a bumper crop of corn this year and the government has asked you to experiment with corn starch to make plastic. If you are successful, there will be a larger market and higher price for this year’s crop. You have come up with a formula that creates a plastic-like substance. Test your formula. Place the ingredients into the Ziploc® bag and mix well. Seal the bag most of the way; leave 1 inch open for the escape of steam. Keep the mixture agitated until you place it into a microwave.