From Assumptions to Action: How Governments Are Using Agrograph to Improve Water Quality

State and local governments across the U.S. are under increasing pressure to reduce nutrient runoff and protect water quality. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agriculture fields into waterways directly contributes to harmful algal blooms, threatens aquatic biodiversity, and contaminates drinking water sources. Traditional approaches to monitoring and mitigation have relied heavily on assumptions, incomplete models, willing farmer participants, and labor-intensive field visits.

That’s changing.

In a recent webinar hosted by GovExec, Agrograph founder Mutlu Ozdogan partners Planet and Thad Cleary, Agricultural Specialist with the Nonpoint Source Program at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, to discuss how near-daily satellite imagery and AI-powered insights are transforming government-run water quality programs.

“You can’t manage what you don’t observe,” said Mutlu Ozdogan, Agrograph Founder.

Historically, agencies like Michigan’s relied on limited, ground-based monitoring—literally driving from field to field. As Thad shared, this approach left out up to 25% of fields in a watershed due to vegetation, trees, and location.

Now, with Agrograph’s platform combining satellite data with machine learning, governments can:

• Identify the fields most at risk for nutrient runoff
• Track conservation practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage
• Monitor watershed-wide changes over the last decade with precision
• Prioritize interventions and prove impact with data

Rather than offering blanket incentives to willing farmers, Michigan is using Agrograph to target the areas where change will matter most. “We’re no longer relying on models built from assumptions,” Thad explained. “We’re using real observations that feed directly into our models to make them better.”

The result? More efficient use of public funds, better engagement with producers, and a path to measurable improvements in water quality.

This is what modern conservation looks like—scalable, observable, and grounded in data.

Want to learn how your agency can move from assumptions to action?

Talk with the Agrograph and Planet team about how we can help you make better decisions with better data.