15 Follow us on @PrairieFarming Better Farming | July/August 2024 president of LandView Drones in Alberta. “Scouting is what most people think of when they think of drones in agriculture. A camera or sensor is flown above the land, and the farmer or rancher sees what the drone sees. It can be reading an ear tag on an animal or finding animals on pasture. For crops, it can be figuring out the weed profile. “Those functions are the easiest for people to grasp. They don’t require data but give access to hard-to-access areas and speed up processes.” Weber says that an estimated 40 per cent of farms own drones, with most producers using them recreationally or for scouting. Shirtliffe’s lab at USask has been working on using drones to monitor crops. This takes drone use one step further, creating data to manage fields more precisely. “Our one study is a proof-of-concept project using UAVs as a tool to help assess emergence of canola,” says Shirtliffe. “This is a common task that an agronomist would have to do. Canola can emerge unevenly, and fields are large and can be wet, so the agronomist maybe can’t access it all. For the study, we wanted to work out a methodology to figure out how to do that with drones.” Shirtliffe’s team collaborated with a group from the Department of Computer Science and used commercially available software to take high-resolution images of various areas of the field, similar to an agronomist using quadrats. They then worked with computer scientists to create a program to count canola plants and distinguish them from weeds to calculate total ground cover and canola emergence. “Because it was proof of concept, the program is not commercially available yet. We are hoping to develop something we can release, but we have shown it’s a viable option,” says Shirtliffe. “It shows that drones can be a tool to help crop scouting. It’s never going to replace boots on the ground, but it can help farmers cover more land.” With similar technology, drones can be used for mapping fields. Shirtliffe’s lab is also working on using drones for mapping kochia in fields. “Our current research project is mapping kochia in crops to determine optimal timing and site-specific weed control. Kochia is resistant to a lot and can be expensive to manage, so this mapping could save farmers a lot of money.” Weber adds that mapping farms requires additional software. “Mapping becomes possible when a drone manufacturer allows for software to be written to automate the flight of the drone. The user outlines the quarter section they want flown, tells it the desired altitude, and hits start. The drone collects the data, and the software is available for analytics,” says Weber. He says that drones can map elevation, assess crop health, and quantify damage to the crop. The data from maps can be used to create plans for variable rate application of inputs. Seeding In recent years, the development of higher capacity drones has led to UAVs capable of crop input application, including seeding. “Most of the seeding I’ve seen has been not of primary crop, but cover crops or adding legumes into pasture,” says Weber, noting that producers should remember the germination implications of broadcasting seed. “Ultimately seed to soil contact is very important for germination, so if you can harrow in seeds or seed with a planter, you’ll get better germination than broadcast seeding, but drone application does work incredibly well within a standing crop.” Weber explains that drone technology has been rapidly improving for this purpose. “The equipment has really matured. Producers just need to do a calibration of the spin spreader, which is automated by software, and need to confirm the spread pattern. There’s a little bit of learning, but it’s not any different than calibrating spin spreaders for ground equipment.” Many livestock farmers are using drones to improve their pastures and extend their grazing seasons. “Some people will do upwards of 10,000 acres to improve forage quality and quantity,” says Weber. “There’s also a lot of funding for these projects to go along with the climate change element.” Weber specifies that these grants and programs would typically be available for seeding, rather than buying a drone. The increased capabilities of these drones, along with greater size required to carry seed, means that these drones can have a higher price tag than drones for mapping or scouting. Weber says that generally, a drone for scouting could be acquired for $5,000, a mapping drone may cost between FCC ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING Join us for a review of our 2023-24 financial results, highlighting the achievements of the past year and looking forward to the opportunities ahead. Wednesday, August 21, 2024 2 p.m. Eastern REGISTER AT fcc.ca/AnnualPublicMeeting DRONES: A NEW PERSPECTIVE
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