For centuries farmers have looked skyward to get a sense of when to plant, plow and harvest. But today, new satellite monitoring equipment makes it possible to receive detailed information about crop growth, insect pests, irrigation and soil conditions. Determining how that technology can be harnessed and made available is the challenge facing representatives of the agricultural and aerospace industries, government and academia who will gather Oct. 23-24 at UC Davis for the "Workshop on Remote Sensing Science for Agriculture in the 21st Century." Sponsored by NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program, the workshop will focus on how remote-sensing technology can be commercialized to provide vital information to growers, commodity markets and the crop insurance industry. Reporters are invited to attend morning meetings in the moot courtroom of King Hall. Remote-sensing agricultural equipment will be demonstrated Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. in a nearby field.