Farm with a view: How drone technology is taking agriculture to a new level

Drones are an increasingly familiar technology finding a wide range of uses. It is becoming normal to have drone-based filming of an event like an outdoor wedding or getting drone-based video to feature for the sale of a home or other property. On the more controversial side, drones are playing an increasing role in modern warfare or anti-terrorism actions. In agriculture drones are also being used in a battle – in that case against yield-robbing pests (insects, weeds, diseases). But drones are also a way to dramatically increase the ability to track the growth of crops and identify nutrient deficiencies. All this information can then guide key farm management decisions.

The ability to spot and identify weeds is one of the key "scouting" functions of the drone imaging that can be done more effectively than by walking fields PHOTO VIA TARANIS

To understand why this is an exciting new option, consider what it's like to be a modern row crop farmer. These independent businesspeople are often tending several thousand acres of land in dozens of fields spread over an even larger area because much of it is rented ground not adjoining the ″home place.″ For every field a long list of decisions must be made each season. For genetics - which crop and variety/hybrid to plant and whether to work in a relay/double crop. For plant nutrition – what fertilizers, at what rates and timings and which efficiency tools to employ. For pests - what preventive measures to employ and what crop protection products to use when and where. For soil health enhancement, whether to use cover crops. All these decisions are influenced by the previous history for that field and by its physical and chemical profile (e.g. slope, soil type, nutrient carryover, organic matter….). Then of course all the best laid plans can be disrupted by the weather once the season is underway. These decisions can have real economic consequences in terms of cost and their effect on the final productivity and quality at harvest, for sale at an unknowable future commodity price. Honestly, we should all be thankful that there are still around 1% of our society willing to take on this complex but indispensable role in society.

The type of drone used to capture highly detailed images of growing crops for further analysis IMAGE VIA TARANIS

This sort of complex and risky endeavor is reality for farmers, but they don’t typically attempt to navigate it alone. Farmers network with their peers and exchange stories about what has or hasn’t worked on their farm, and they benefit greatly from the applied research conducted by their local university and extension resources. For specific expertise, input farmers commonly rely on ″trusted advisors″ known as agronomists and/or crop consultants who can take what is known about their fields and provide recommendations. Often these experts work for the local cooperatives or ag-retailers which also sell the farmers their seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products and other inputs. There is a potential conflict of interest in having the recommendations come from the marketer of the products to be used, but trust is built over time based on whether the guidance ends up giving the farmer the economic results he/she needs over time. There are also independent advisors.

An advisor and a farmer discuss the information gathered by drone imaging IMAGE FROM TARANIS

Taranis collects images of each contracted field every 10 to 12 days for a total of 4-6 passes per season. The images have sub-millimeter resolution – so detailed that you can count the dots on a ladybug! They can track infestations of insects, invasions by weeds, crop nutrient deficiencies, stress or any number of other good or bad developments on the ground. They can only monitor above ground phenomena, but as Mike DiPaola the Chief Commercial Officer of Taranis puts it, ″to understand what is happening below ground, keep in mind that a corn field can have nearly 30,000 indicators, called corn plants.″

As an example of detail, the drone images can be used to spot and identify these symptoms of a soybean disease early enough to consider treatment to prevent further spread PHOTO VIA TARANSI

After the season the advisor and the farmer can sit down and review what was learned that year and use that to help plan for the next. It’s a way to document examples of good advice and a way to learn from mistakes. Taranis is also able to give their customers benchmarking comparisons to other farms in the region using anonymized data summaries. Each season of data builds the knowledge-base to allow even more sophisticated use of the technology in the future.

Each corn plant is an indicator of what is going on both above and below ground. IMAGE VIA TARANIS

Not surprisingly this technology attracts young, highly qualified employees for the companies that participate. It also enhances that trust relationship with progressive farmers. Hopefully this technology can be extended to other crops and regions and play a role in helping farmers adapt to the challenges they will increasingly face because of climate change.