Drones in Precision Agriculture
Approximately 20 ‘off-farm’ jobs support farms; one, a crop consultant, helps farmers plant crops for sustainable production. At the most recent Precision Agriculture Field Day, co-hosted by Durham Farm Connections and Invest Durham, drones were presented as part of the crop consultant role. A drone is used to scan the field to tell the consultant just how many soybeans are in a row, and when it is difficult to walk through the crop rows, as plants grow throughout the season, the drone can maneuver through and provide information back to the farmer.
Information gathered by drones on farms can help farmers make farming decisions. Drones can provide critical information across a large farm area and down to a one-inch accuracy. This can assist with understanding the crop’s needs for pesticides or nutrients. The just-in-time information means that time and resources are not wasted. Detailed data and analytics can help better control diseases and insects in various crops, which is the heart of precision agriculture.
Drone data helps farmers plan their planting and treatments to provide optimal crops while preserving resources.
Precision Agriculture is the precise management of crops to increase production and sustainability. Some of the technologies used in precision agriculture include GPS, drones, and high-quality soil sampling to manage variability in crop production.