Welcome to our farm, where tradition meets innovation in the world of agriculture. In this blog, we’ll explore our journey with a new addition to our farm equipment family: the Ag- Drone. Join us as we share our experiences, challenges, and hopes for the future of farming.
Embracing Precision Agriculture:
At our family farm, we try to embrace the constantly evolving world of precision agriculture. So, when my dad excitedly announced in 2023 that he had purchased a drone for the farm, it was hardly a surprise. With a deep-seated love for innovation, coupled with his private pilot license and a family history in aviation—his grandfather was a crop-duster– the potential of drones on our farm sparked genuine excitement. My mom often jokes that if it weren’t for us, Dad would have been a crop-duster himself. So, last spring, we got the drone mainly to be used for our 2023 fungicide season.
The drone has changed the game for us and is a new tool in modern agriculture. Outfitted with advanced cameras, sensors, and imaging capabilities, drones give us a bird’s-eye view of our fields, helping us monitor crop health, pests, and irrigation needs with precision. From scouting to spraying, the drone has become essential, boosting efficiency, and saving time.
A Game-Changer in Field Operations:
Our T40 drone, also known as “Goose” playfully nicknamed from the movie Top Gun, has a gross takeoff weight of 200+ pounds and has been proven invaluable. There are occasions where our ground sprayer cannot get in the field because it is too wet. This can be a real issue at times as it can add up to a yield loss. However, the drone allows us to operate regardless of ground conditions, providing a more extended window for spraying. With a 10.5-gallon tank, we can cover around 30 acres per hour in ideal conditions. The drone can fly in tight, irregular areas or hard to reach farms allowing application in corners and closer to tree lines than traditional aerial applications. While operating the drone does require teamwork—each person contributing to the spraying process—the benefits are clear. Drones enhance productivity, offering a cost-effective alternative to conventional spraying techniques while minimizing soil compaction and crop damage caused by ground sprayers running over crops.
Teamwork and Collaboration in Action:
Curious onlookers have stopped in the field to watch our drone operations. It is very impressive to watch! Allow me to provide you with a glimpse of this fascinating process. We begin by importing field boundaries and parameters, enabling the drone to fly autonomously. It flies over our fields spraying or scouting as needed, and then returns to the loading site when the tank requires refilling, or batteries need recharging. However, it’s essential to emphasize that the success of this operation hinges on teamwork. Each member of our team plays a crucial role: one individual acts as the pilot, skillfully maneuvering the drone, while another handles mixing and filling chemical tanks, and yet another ensures the smooth operation of batteries and generators.
Investing in Drone Technology:
While a drone is considerably cheaper than, say, a tractor or ground sprayer, it is an investment that requires careful consideration. Beyond the initial cost, additional investments were necessary to ensure its efficient operation. We acquired a trailer to transport the drone between fields. It also required us to purchase water tanks, mixing tanks, extra batteries, and generators to charge batteries. Moreover, there are steps to obtain certification, undergoing training, covering license fees, and insurance policies to consider as well. It’s a comprehensive process as there are many factors to consider when looking at the return on the investment of a drone.
Navigating the Learning Curve:
Before taking flight, our drone operators were required to obtain a Part 107 Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They needed an aerial applicator’s license, a state pesticide applicator’s license, an FAA physical, and certificates of exemption to fly a drone over 55 pounds.
An integral part of our team, Hayden Pena, serves as one of our certified drone operators on the farm. While he had prior experience with small recreational drones during his upbringing, transitioning to flying an agricultural drone presented its own set of challenges. As Hayden will attest, operating an agriculture drone is far more complex than it may appear at first glance. Moving from a lightweight, 1 -pound recreational drone to maneuvering a 200-pound agricultural drone is like entering a whole new realm. It’s a learning curve that demands additional experience and training. Furthermore, navigating obstacles such as trees, powerlines, changes in terrain, or sudden gusts of wind during flight requires manual adjustment. Contrary to popular belief, flying the drone isn’t a passive task – it requires active engagement and skill from the operator at all times.
Our Drone Pilot, Hayden, in Action
Challenges and Opportunities:
The role of agricultural drone spraying is undoubtedly here to stay, bringing with it both advantages and challenges for farm use. My dad, offering his personal insight into drones, acknowledges their significance in improving farming practices. Understanding the need for ongoing improvements, especially in areas like battery life, generator requirements, safety protocols, and data privacy, he remains optimistic about the future of drone technology on our farm. While he isn’t fully convinced that drones are currently superior to traditional ground spray rigs in terms of cost and performance, he sees promise in their potential and remains dedicated to being part of this transformative journey.
As we continue to navigate the skies and fields with drones on our farm, we invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with agricultural technology. Together, we can shape the future of farming!
-Brinley Rose