Case Study
According to BBC Norfolk, AutoSpray Systems (a company that supplies electric, multi-function autonomous drones for agriculture) developed the use of drones in farming around five years ago.
The technology AutoSpray provides is designed to help farmers improve efficiency and increase margins, while reducing chemical usage, lowering carbon emissions and improving worker safety.
Whether it’s to spray, shade, sow or spread, drone technology can be a hugely beneficial addition to agricultural operations.
Complementing, Not Competing
It’s important to note that drone tech is positively advancing the agricultural industry, instead of replacing roles. Whilst they have proven to improve operations in some areas of the industry, there are still limitations.
While drones can be beneficial to maintaining soil structure and reaching areas of farmland during wet weather, there are still restrictions on drones spraying pesticides.
According to BBC Norfolk, Rob Pearson - MD of AutoSpray Systems, said “Everything grows in the soil. It is the farmer's most valuable asset and the tractors compact it, they crush the ground, and this really damages the soil”.
Mr Pearson said: "This isn't here to compete with a tractor... when the fields are wet the tractors simply can't get into the field, but critically they cause compaction and they cause crop damage."
He said the use of the drone is a low-carbon way of working and is a fraction of the cost of a tractor.
The Process of Drones in This Scenario
Many enterprise drones, such as the models designed by AutoSpray, are equipped with mapping technology, so in this instance, the drone will map out the field before takeoff to effectively drop seed or spray evenly across the land.
Farmers take great care and time over the condition of their soil, the structure of their soil and the ground biology - with a drone flying above there is no impact on the condition of the soil be it from compaction or just moving the soil.
The Future of Drones in Agriculture
As we briefly discussed, current restrictions on drone technology within the industry prevent farmers from using these advances to spray pesticides. However, there are plans to overhaul these rules, opening new doors for drone use in the agriculture sector.
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