Drone technology is a phenomenal innovation that is having a significant impact on today's society, transforming our lives and the way we do business.
It appears that farmers have welcomed the advent of drones with open arms, using these cutting-edge tools to transform modern agriculture.
High-tech drones allow farmers and the pilots who control them to improve the efficiency of several aspects of crop production, from crop monitoring to planting, livestock management, crop spraying, irrigation mapping, and more.
Next, we will take a closer look at the agricultural drone market and how to use them, as well as a look into the future of this industry and discuss the steps you need to take if you want to retrain as an agricultural drone pilot.
MARKET ANALYSIS OF AGRICULTURAL DRONES
Agricultural drones help develop and optimize a system known as precision farming.
This cropping approach involves monitoring, measuring and taking action based on real-time information about the health of crops and livestock. In this case, instead of random decisions based on guesswork, modern farmers are able to maximize yields and optimize the farm management structure by increasing crop production.
In recent years, the cost of agricultural drones has dropped significantly, driving up demand and making drones an attractive investment for farmers.
The agricultural drone market is expected to grow by more than 38% in the coming years. With population growth and climate change, the need for more efficient agriculture will only increase.
There are several options for using agricultural drones, for example:
- Exploration of land and crops.
- Search for weeds and spot treatment of plants.
- Control of the general condition of the crop.
- Livestock management and health monitoring.
- Drones are equipped with systems and features such as propulsion systems, infrared cameras, GPS and navigation systems, programmable controllers and automatic flight planning. In addition, with the help of special data processing software, any collected information can be immediately used to make operational management decisions.
DRONES AND AGRICULTURE: A UNION MADE IN HEAVEN
The use of drones is completely changing the way crops are grown.
By adopting UAV technology, farmers and agricultural companies can increase yields, save time, and find optimal management solutions that will ensure their long-term success.
Farmers are currently facing many different factors affecting their well-being, including access to water resources, climate change, winds, soil quality, weeds and insects, changing growing seasons, etc.
All this is pushing farmers to use high-tech drones that can cope with such tasks and ensure the prompt adoption of the most effective decisions.
Agricultural drones give farmers access to a wealth of data that they can use to make better management decisions, improve yields and overall profitability.
Drones can be used to collect data on crop yields, livestock health, soil quality, nutrient levels, weather and rainfall forecasts, and more. The same data can then be used to create detailed maps and make informed decisions.
The agricultural industry does not neglect high-tech tools to optimize business operations. The use of drones in agriculture is the next phase to help farmers and agricultural companies meet the changing demands of a growing market.
WAYS TO USE AGRICULTURAL DRONES: 6 INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES
The use of drones in agriculture is becoming more common.
Drones can help with time-consuming and complex tasks while reducing material costs.
The use of drones in agriculture can be expected to grow as the industry develops and new technologies are introduced.
Currently, there are 6 main ways to use agricultural drones:
- Soil and field analysis
At the beginning, middle and end of the harvest cycle, drones can be used to provide useful data on soil composition and quality. With the help of 3D soil maps, you can quickly diagnose problems related to soil composition, nutrient levels or dead zones.
This information can help growers determine the most effective patterns for planting and growing crops, soil care, etc. Current monitoring is able to ensure the optimal use of water resources and maintaining the required ratio of nutrients when caring for plants.
- Planting seeds
Drone-assisted seed sowing is a relatively recent practice and has not yet become widespread, but some companies are experimenting with drone seed sowing. In fact, growers are experimenting with special systems programmed to spread seeds into prepared soil.
Young UAV companies have played an important role in the development of unique technologies designed to solve a number of problems in the field of ecology and agriculture. For example, DroneSeed uses an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of lifting a 57-pound payload/flight of tree seeds, herbicides, fertilizers, and water for reforestation and replanting.
This technology helps to minimize the need for personal presence to plant plants in the selected area, which sometimes becomes a costly and energy-intensive task.
This same drone technology can be adapted and applied to many types of farms, reducing planting time and labor costs.
- Crop spraying and spot spraying
To maintain rich crops, constant fertilizing and spraying are required. Previously, this was done manually using vehicles or aircraft. However, these methods can be called inefficient, cumbersome and quite expensive.
Based on the decision of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), drones can be equipped with large tanks that can be filled with fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Using drones to spray plants is much safer and more cost-effective. Drones can operate autonomously and can be programmed to fly according to a specific schedule and route.
For example, if a fungus is found in some limited area, drones can be used to solve this problem. Given the speed of drones, you have the ability to diagnose and eliminate a potential threat before it spreads throughout the farm.
Spot spraying of crops was an incredibly difficult task. If there were problems with weeds or a particular crop, the entire area had to be sprayed.
This resulted in a huge waste of time and resources, as someone had to walk around the entire site. Add to that the cost of pesticides and the environmental damage caused by the use of chemicals.
With drone-assisted spot spraying, this task requires much less time and money, including environmental costs.
- Cartographic and geodetic works
One of the main advantages of using drones is the simplicity and efficiency of large-scale monitoring of crops and agricultural land. In the past, satellite or aircraft photos were used to get a close-up view of a farm and identify potential problems.
However, these photos were expensive and could not guarantee the same degree of image accuracy that drones offer. Nowadays, you can not only take pictures in real time, but also chronologically arranged animation showing the growth of plants in real time.
With drone mapping and surveying, technology decisions can now be made based on real-time data rather than outdated photos or practical considerations.
With near-infrared (NIR) imaging sensors, plant health can be determined based on light absorption, providing an instant overview of farm health. We recently interviewed a drone pilot who used near-infrared photography to help vineyard owners diagnose the condition of their vines.
With the help of agricultural drones, you can get information such as:
— Crop volume and plant health status.
- Distribution of land depending on the type of crop.
— The current life cycle of culture.
— Detailed maps of cultivated areas made using GPS.
It's simple: Drones can make the most of land and resources by helping farmers find the best areas to plant their crops.
- Control and organization of irrigation works
Irrigation is a tricky business. If your irrigation installations stretch for miles, problems are inevitable. Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras can diagnose irrigation problems or areas with too little or too much moisture.
With this information, you can create the most efficient planting patterns, improve drainage, utilize natural surface runoff, and avoid water build-up that can damage sensitive crops.
Problems with water and irrigation systems not only cost a lot of money, but can also ruin your crop. With drones, these problems will be detected before they can harm you.
- Livestock monitoring in real time
Some drones are equipped with thermal imaging cameras that allow the pilot to control the drone and track livestock at the same time. This allows farmers to regularly monitor their livestock with minimal time and labor costs.
The drone operator can quickly check the herd to make sure there are no injured or missing animals, as well as the appearance of young animals. Drones are used to constantly monitor the herd, which was once an expensive and time-consuming task.
In addition, thermal imaging helps track down predators and is a great help to some farm owners.
Start your career as an agricultural drone pilot
Maximizing yields, minimizing costs and creating next generation farms.
It's easy to see why agricultural drones are so popular. Farms and agricultural enterprises that use drones in their activities will quickly force those who refuse such an opportunity out of the market.
This means that agricultural drone pilots will become a key asset for these companies.
It sounds like an invitation to learn an interesting and promising profession.
The agricultural drone market is still in its infancy. And the biggest factor holding back its growth is the lack of experienced pilots.
Luckily, if you are reading these words, then you are just one click away from becoming a certified drone pilot. Through quality training and a genuine interest in this area of expertise, you can influence the way you grow crops and land a job in a lucrative and promising industry.
As a professional agricultural drone pilot, you will always be up to date with the latest farm, stock and soil conditions, using this information to quickly assess agricultural production.
After receiving the certification, you can choose one of the possible ways to achieve success in working with agricultural drones, for example:
Working as a consultant offering soil assessments and creating maps to optimize the farm structure based on thermal images and processed with modern software.
Creation of automated systems of unmanned aerial vehicles for operating farms, providing planting, spraying and regular care of crops.
Contract work including regular crop monitoring, spraying and detailed analysis to maximize yields.
Work on the farms of large agricultural companies that require an experienced agricultural drone pilot.
Create detailed maps of lawns and other outdoor land uses.
Conducting in-depth studies of the survival and viability of wild plants and crops in various weather and climatic conditions.
Rest assured that in the future, the number of jobs, types of contracts and jobs using drones, and promising business opportunities will continue to increase as the popularity of drones grows.