The future of farming may hold drones........! LONDON, Ohio – Hot air balloons and airplanes waving banners won’t be the only thing in the sky at the 2013 Farm Science Review. The trade show will feature a new kind of technology rarely been seen in the sky: unmanned aircraft systems, or drones. Matt McCrink, a Ph.D. student in the Aerospace Engineering Department at The Ohio State University and research assistant to Dr. Jim Gregory at the Aeronautic and Astronautics Research Laboratory in Columbus, said while the technology is still in its infancy, it has the potential to have wide-ranging benefits for farmers. >> Drones and crop health Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are military aircraft currently being repurposed for everyday use, especially within the field of precision agriculture. The hope is that drones will aid producers in monitoring crop health through the development of aerial imagery. What does a futurist think about drones in agriculture? McCrink said drones will be able to provide better images more often, which will allow farmers to make better decisions. Using unmanned aircrafts could save money because it would reduce human labor, because no one would have to spend the time in the aircraft taking the pictures. Robots will be able to do the work and more often than a human would be able to. “The real benefit to farmers in the future is the frequency of use available,” said McCrink. >>Data collection He said by sending the drones into the air farmers will be able to keep an eye on weeds and precipitation needs in a field. In addition, the UAVs will also be able to provide local, site-specific data, including crop scouting and geo-referencing to allow growers to monitor pesticide dispersion and fertilizer usage, and to monitor crop health factors, including soil moisture. farmanddairy/news/future-farming-may-hold-drones/154087.html
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 05:13:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015