Michael Farrell, director of Cornell's Uihlein Sugar Maple Research and Extension Field Station, also sees a big opportunity for northeastern maple producers.

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Under the Life Extension Programs, weapons are returned from the field and aging components are refurbished or remanufactured.

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"This technology should provide an opportunity to see parts of the field even down to the leaf level, " said Phil Hamm, director of the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Oregon State University.

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