16 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | August 2024 One more niche product that can be applied by drone is greenhouse covering, which decreases the intensity of the sun during the summer months. “Spray drones are really well suited to these special projects, and it makes it easier to get in and get the job done,” says Rivard. Spraying and crop protection The future of spray drones is the source of much of the excitement surrounding drones. Currently, no products covered under the Pest Control Products Act are approved for application by drone in Canada. Farmers are eager for these regulations to catch up. “Registrations are coming but it’s not for agricultural products,” says Deveau. Currently the only approved products are larvicides for mosquitos, and the next products to become legal to spray by drone will likely be for industrial vegetative management. “As registrants get more comfortable and as products slowly get registered, that becomes precedence and as info comes in about agricultural products, things will snowball.” Deveau explains that to have more products available for drone spraying, registrants need to ask Health Canada what information they need, and a variety of research will need to take place to generate that data. This research should also help refine and improve the ability of drones to spray crops. Currently there are concerns about spray swath and application consistency that come from the many variables associated with drone application. “With drones, so many things interfere with how the crop is sprayed – how the rotors turn, drone speed, the amount of fluid being carried, wind, and the direction of the drone,” says Deveau, who explains that rates across the swath are currently inconsistent, with the majority of the product distributed directly under the drone. “We don’t have a good idea of how big the swath is, and with spraying, there is nothing more important than knowing the rate of application.” He also explains that he has concerns about coverage. With drones carrying lower volumes of liquid than large-scale machines, the product is less diluted. Products sprayed by drones are more concentrated and often result in significantly fewer droplets per square foot than conventional methods. While more information is necessary to ensure drones can safely and efficiently apply crop protection products, Pfeffer says it’s also in the registrants’ best interest to generate this info. “As registrants, we want things to come through the right channels and get approved and provide parameters on when and how to apply, and how to get the best outcome,” says Pfeffer. “As with any technology, things do improve. I’m excited for the equipment that is available today and the capacity now is workable. It’s much better than two to three years ago. What does 10 years from now look like?” He says he sees a lot of opportunity for developments in automation of the reloading and charging process. Pfeffer emphasizes that drones likely won’t replace ground sprayers. “I think where drones come in is filling in the cracks. They won’t replace anything large-scale, but the corners, tough-to-get-at places, and small fields, is where they can excel. “And I’m also thinking about disease development – like tar spot. It’s getting difficult to manage and stretching our current application abilities, but any extra tools will be needed especially for diseases like that.” Barriers Besides the previously discussed limitations in spray drones, including regulations and data supporting coverage, there are a few other barriers that may make farmers hesitant to make a major drone purchase. TerraNova UAV’s Hurtado says that the training and attention required may make drones unsuited to the workflows of some operations. “How do you implement this technology in the middle of spraying, seeding, or scouting? How do you implement buying the drone, flying it, maintaining it, and potentially analyzing and getting information from it?” asks Hurtado. “With spraying you also need a certain level of knowledge for programming the machine, an understanding of how the drone works, and the time to learn the equipment.” Hurtado says that producers who are looking at implementing drones should ask questions like, ‘Will I have time to go through everything to make sure it operates safely? Is it doing the task properly? Am I planning ahead for maintenance? Am I trained to fly a drone?’ If workflow is a challenge, using custom operators may be a solution to ensure that the job is done well, without tying up farm labour. Another limitation is flight regulations. For the safety of airspace and those around the drone operator, 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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