Matt Yost Receives NIFA Grant to Study Irrigation and Precision Agriculture Across the Country

Associate Professor Matt Yost received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to study how other parts of the country are managing drought. By learning new techniques and forming connections across state lines, Yost, who is USU Extension’s agroclimate specialist, is finding better ways for Utah State University to serve water managers and users in Utah and the wider Intermountain Region.

The Great Salt Lake and Colorado River Basins, which supply water for over 40 million people, reached record low elevations in 2022. While they’ve rebounded somewhat since then, the Intermountain Region as a whole has continued to become hotter and drier over time.

To solve this challenge and preserve agriculture for the next generation, innovators across the country have devised better irrigation systems, alternative crops, regenerative agriculture techniques, and other tools for optimizing water usage. Yost set out to study these ideas and bring the best of them back to Utah.

Yost’s project began with two trips that each spanned multiple states, including Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York. First, Yost visited state-of-the-art irrigation facilities and research trials to learn about the latest techniques in water optimization science, some of which will contribute to water optimization research and outreach centers in Utah.

Second, Yost visited some of the leading precision agriculture programs in the country that will help shape curriculum for a new precision agriculture certificate program at USU. Finally, Yost will use the opportunity of meeting directly with irrigation science faculty members to begin creating a national network of that will help them learn from and coordinate with each other across state lines.

Overall, the NIFA grant will help create better opportunities for students and faculty in agriculture alike while pooling the knowledge needed to meet the challenges facing agriculture today.