by Charlotte Brockman

In the fields of southeast Nebraska and the pastures of the Sandhills, technology continues to take flight. Drones have increased in popularity and are taking on new roles on farms and ranches across Nebraska.

Different from an airplane or a bird, drones are proving themselves even more useful these days for precision field applications, and Nebraska farmers of the future are looking to the skies.

Dirk Charlson, Nebraska Extension educator for digital agriculture, leads workshops and events on spray drones across the state.

“In the past nine months, I have received a lot of calls about spray drones,” he says. “Farmers see this technology as something that will save them money.”

Turbulence ahead

With more and more drones taking the field, many questions are being raised about what is ahead for this technology. The biggest challenge to advancing technology in agriculture lies with the Federal Aviation Administration.

“This is such a new industry that it is hard to know what the rules are, and the FAA is continuously evolving,” Charlson says.

The technology is accessible to everyone, which means an individual can have no aviation background or drone-flying experience and still think they are fit for the sky. This raises some concerns and is the driving force behind Charlson’s work across the state.

Related:Important drone laws you should know

Clear skies

For anyone new to drone technology and interested in how drones could be incorporated into a farming operation, the first step lies with Part 107. This exam requires a score of 70% or higher to license a user to operate a drone up to 55 pounds in weight. While most spray drones are larger than that, this is a great place to start and gain initial knowledge.

Over the past year, Charlson has been teaching a Part 107 exam prep course, attracting more than 100 students from five states. Participants in this one-day course have their eyes on the sky, hoping to use their newly acquired knowledge for their farm, ranch or even in law enforcement.

“People come to the course not realizing how difficult the test can be,” Charlson says. However, this has not slowed his students down, as the majority have averaged a score of 90% on the exam.

Flying forward

Uses for drone technology in agriculture will only continue to move forward. As farmers look to drones for spray application of pesticides, cover crops and micronutrients, a more complete system comes into view.

“Producers are grabbing onto technologies one thing at a time,” Charlson explains. “We are headed toward having a workflow, where producers have all the technology they need. The first step is adopting each technology individually.”

Related:3 tractor museums to visit during summer

In the future, there will be more regulations, as the FAA has already announced Part 137 and other parts that give specific guidelines for agricultural applications. The greatest challenge to the adoption of the technology is a misunderstanding of regulations, because they are quickly changing.

In the future Charlson hopes to offer a workflow, which will provide training through the process of using drones for mapping, targeting and spraying.

To learn more about drone technology and Part 107 exam preparation courses, visit extension.unl.edu.

Brockman writes from Lincoln, Neb.