How Drones help Farmers
Drone technology continues to revolutionise the many industries in Australia, and farming and agriculture is definitely one that has seen a huge advantage from the advancements in UAVs.
As our population continues to grow, so does the consumption of food, and the adoption and adaption of new technology such as Unmanned Aircraft is a crucial part of keeping up with the demand of our essential needs.
Drones are changing the way farmers work and think, and making life much easier, helping them save time as well as improve the size and quality of their yields.
The majority of farming is made up of numerous small tasks that are required to be completed on a daily basis. These include the moving of livestock and crop inspections, both of which are time-consuming for individual farmers. This is where drones can be utilised to make the tasks quicker and also provide a higher degree of accuracy over someone managing the tasks from the ground.
Tasks such as inspecting troughs, planting of seeds, mustering and checking the livestock, and even monitoring the health and stress of crops with thermal imaging or irrigation are all tasks that a drone can manage more effectively and efficiently.
Even spot spraying with a drone is a quicker and much healthier way of farming now.
And with crop and livestock health undoubtedly one of the most important aspects for any farmer, a drone is a necessity in getting this done effectively.
Incorporating the right software, the drones can provide real-time information on diseased or unhealthy crops and where outbreaks are happening, making farming more productive and saving costs in the long term to produce a much higher quality yield.
However, there are rules and regulations specified by CASA in regard to flying over your own land and these are based primarily on the weight of the drones. For farmers though, if you’re flying a remotely-piloted drone of up to 25kg on your private land, you currently don’t require an operating certificate.
This means that drone operation is more accessible to more farmers which should see an expansion of drone technology across Australian farms, and ultimately creating better crops and assisting the economy and farming sector in general.
It is still recommended that to get the most out of your drone, you should consider taking a RePL (Remote Pilot Licence) course or REOC (Remote Operator’s Certificate) with UASNT. They provide all the training and technical knowledge to ensure efficient drone operation and management that will ultimately provide a better outcome for your farming and agricultural services.
