It’s not just the larger farms that are integrating drone use into their operations. 90% of all U.S. farms are smaller, family-owned farms, and they, too, are bringing in agricultural drones to help with aerial surveillance, mapping, and even crop spraying.
How Are Drones Used for Farming?
Agriculturalists recognize that “precision agriculture,” or detailed data collection, is the most effective way to grow a business. Learning algorithms get smarter with use and offer a precise view of the analytics of a farm. Pattern recognition uses previously collected data to detect not only a recurring pattern but also to plan future courses of action.
An agricultural drone, otherwise known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is used to monitor the health of trees, land, and crops using high-tech sensors and digital and satellite imaging to provide comprehensive information about the land. These drones give the user the option of either watching live video footage while the drone is in flight or downloading the material to watch at a later time.
These clever flying bots can remotely detect land and crop damage from insects, weather conditions, wildfire, and construction; they can indicate which crops need more or less nutrients, estimate yields, and even count cattle. Recent advancements have seen these agro-drones spraying and distributing fertilizer and pesticides, and some can now even pick ripe nuts and fruit off trees.
