** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HOW CAN YOU MANAGE WHAT YOU DON'T MEASURE? THIS QUESTION FROM THE LATE PETER DRUCKER, FAMOUS BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, IS CRITICAL IN THE DISCOVERY PROCESS OF FINDING EFFICIENCIES IN BUSINESS. PRECISION AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS HAVE USHERED IN A NEW ERA BY INCORPORATING BIG DATA ANALYTICS TO INCREASE CROP YIELDS BY INTEGRATING SATELLITE IMAGERY, CLIMATE DATA, AND SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES FOR TARGETED APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS, HERBICIDES, AND PESTICIDES. ALTHOUGH CROP PRODUCTION HAS BENEFITED FROM THIS TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION, FORAGE-BASED LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS LAG BEHIND.LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS SUCH AS THE BEEF COW/CALF AND SHEEP INDUSTRIES HAVE NOT ADVANCED IN PRECISION AGRICULTURE LIKE OTHERSECTORS. EFFECTIVE GRASSLAND MONITORING PLANS OFTEN REQUIRE DATA COLLECTION BY HAND TO MEASURE FORAGE QUANTITY AND QUALITY. THIS IS OFTEN TIME AND LABOR PROHIBITIVE FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS WHO OPERATE ON EXTENSIVE LANDSCAPES. THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED TO DEVELOP TOOLS THAT ENABLE PRODUCERS TO MONITOR FORAGE RESOURCES IN REAL-TIME AT THE INDIVIDUAL PASTURE SCALE WHERE MANAGEMENT DECISIONS ARE MADE. FAILURE TO DEVELOP A REAL-TIME MONITORING TOOL WILL RESULT IN OVER-GRAZING OF FORAGE RESOURCES, ECOSYSTEM DEGRADATION, DECREASED RANGELAND AND ANIMAL PRODUCTION, AND REDUCED RESILIENCY TO CLIMATE CHANGE.OUR LONG TERM GOAL IS TO TRANSFORM LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION BY DEVELOPING TOOLS TO ENABLE PRODUCERS TO LEVERAGE BIG DATA ANALYTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO INFORM REAL-TIME MANAGEMENT DECISIONS WITHIN EXTENSIVE GRASSLAND SYSTEMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO INCORPORATE DATA PROCESSING PIPELINES WITH AI MODELS AND CITIZEN SCIENCE-COLLECTED DATA INTO A WEB APPLICATION ALLOWING PRODUCERS TO MONITOR FORAGE QUALITY AND QUANTITY IN REAL-TIME AT THE INDIVIDUAL PASTURE SCALE.THE RATIONALE FOR THIS PROJECT IS WHILE LARGE ADVANCEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE INCORPORATING DATA ANALYTICS, AI, AND PRECISION AGRICULTURE, THERE HAS BEEN NO DOCUMENTED EFFORT TO DEVELOP REAL-TIME ESTIMATES OF FORAGE CONDITIONS FOR GRASSLAND LIVESTOCK PRODUCER USE. THE AREA OF THE U.S. DEDICATED TO FORAGE-BASED LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IS SUBSTANTIAL, AND MONITORING OF THIS RESOURCE IS LIMITED. APPROXIMATELY 311 MILLION HA OF RANGELAND, 53 MILLION HA OF PASTURELAND, AND 16 MILLION HA OFHAYLAND (USDA-USFS, 2018; USDA-NRCS, 2003) SUPPORT LIVESTOCK COMPARED TO 160 MILLION HA OF ROW-CROP AGRICULTURE (USDA-NASS, 2019).THESE LANDSCAPES ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF FORAGE FOR31.7 MILLION BEEF COWS, 3.8 MILLION BREEDING SHEEP, AND 2.2 MILLION BREEDING GOATS IN THE U.S. (USDA-NASS, 2018A, 2018B). THESE WORKING LANDSCAPES OFFER A VARIETY OF ECOSYSTEM GOODS AND SERVICES SUCH AS RECREATION, WILDLIFE HABITAT, BIODIVERSITY, HYDROLOGIC FUNCTION FOR GROUND WATER RECHARGE, CARBON SEQUESTRATION, AND OPEN SPACE FOR AESTHETIC VALUE.EFFECTIVE GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT REQUIRES VEGETATION MONITORING PLANS TO ENSURE GRAZING UTILIZATION TARGETS ARE MET. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE ASCLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS PREDICT GREATER VARIABILITY IN RAINFALL PATTERNS. INTER-ANNUAL DIFFERENCES IN FORAGE PRODUCTION AND QUALITY CAN LEAD TO FORAGE RESOURCES BECOMING DEGRADED OR ALTERNATELY UNDERUTILIZED.THE CHALLENGE FOR EXTENSIVE RANGELANDS IS THE LARGE AMOUNT OF SAMPLING NEEDED FOR ACCURATE ESTIMATES OF FORAGE PRODUCTION, UTILIZATION, AND PLANT COMMUNITY CHANGES. INFORMATIVE MONITORING IS TIME AND LABOR PROHIBITIVE FOR MOST PRODUCERS WORKING ON LARGE SCALE PASTURES (HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF HA). UTILIZING DATA SCIENCE TOOLS TO MONITOR FORAGE RESOURCES IS KEY TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF GRASSLAND BEEF PRODUCTION IN THE FUTURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS THAT DEVELOPING A WEB APPLICATION USING REAL-TIME DATA TO INFORM LIVESTOCK PRODUCER DECISION MAKING WILL GREATLY IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCY, AND INCREASE RANCH INCOME AND SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS MILLIONS OF HA OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS IN THE U.S.