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Drones improve efficiency; require special trainingDrones improve efficiency; require special training

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles is gaining ground, but with adoption comes a learning curve and mandated training and licensing.

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Acceptance of drone and robotic technology in agriculture is increasing rapidly as consultants and producers discover more ways to use unmanned aerial vehicles to improve efficiency.

But adoption comes with a steep learning curve and essential training and licensing.

“We can do more than just spray with drones,” said Jeff Clack, Bestway Ag chief supervisor of operations, Crestview, Fla., during the 36th annual Texas Plant Protection Association Conference, held in early December in Bryan, Texas.

“We can do imagery with a multi-spectral drone that's very affordable. Integrating a drone into the airspace puts a unique tool in our toolbox,” Clack said.

He said imagery data are calculated, mapped, and installed into spray drones to improve crop protection —    from drilling seed through in-season applications.

He added that drones prove their worth when fields are muddy, and ground rigs cannot apply products in a timely manner.

“If a fungicide must be applied as soon as possible, and rain comes several days prior to spray time, it will be a while before you can get a ground rig in to take care of that field. Drones don't have that problem,” Clack said.

Improved efficiency

He said rising costs of chemicals and sensitive environments where they are applied also give drones an edge. “With drones, we cut back on the water supply, enhancing the strength of the formula per mixed gallon. We typically only apply about two to three gallons per acre.”

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He added that drone operators can input droplet size and spectrum into the drone before spraying to ensure that the application complies with the product label. “We can input these parameters into the drone when we get ready to spray. And that helps us adhere to the chemical label.

“Also, we now may operate legally more than one drone at a time that weighs over 55 pounds. They are compact and very maneuverable, an important consideration when operating in a confined environment. We can put these drones in a very small footprint where other fixed-wing assets and helicopters can't operate.”

Night applications

A possible FAA exemption that would make a visual observer unnecessary means operators could spray at night, if all lighting criteria are met.

”That’s important because some areas are exceedingly windy most of the time until the sun goes down. After sunset, we can deploy the aircraft and apply products before the wind picks up the next morning. It makes for a long night, but applicators can spray on label, under 10 miles per hour for most chemistries.”

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Essential training

About that learning curve. In the eyes of the FAA, operators must satisfy several requirements, Clack said.

“With drones over 55 pounds, which includes most of the application drones, operators have additional regulations because the level of lethality goes up exponentially. If the drone weighs 55 pounds or more, risks increase. So, a few extra rules keep the operator and the community safe.”

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Requirements include a drone pilot license. The license requires operators to learn laws and some biology consistent with manned aircraft. It's an intense process.”

A chemical applicator license, not the state license, is also required. “Anyone who is actively farming and using precision application, probably will have the state pesticide but not the aerial application license, which allows them to apply chemicals by air. It's the same license required for crop dusters.”

Allow time

Clack said it takes time and planning to get the training and necessary licenses to use the heavy drones legally. “Anyone planning to spray next season with drones, now is the time to file for exemptions.”

He said a required FAA third-class medical certificate, administered by an aviation medical provider, also takes time.

“If there are issues to work out, I recommend getting that done first because everything revolves around that third-class medical certificate. So, if you get denied or a condition must be reevaluated, you should knock that out first because everything else happens after that.”

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He said recent rulings exempt veterans with PTSD from the third-class medical certificate.

Plan to study

“The license is necessary,” Clack added, “and it requires some study. It’s a 60-question test requiring 70% to pass. Is it passable without studying? Not usually. So, you have to put a little study time in. Several online courses are available.”

License cost is $175. Cost for smaller drones, less than 55 pounds, can be registered online through FAA for $5. “The process can take as much as 90 days. “Registering drones over 55 pounds is a wet ink process and must be mailed in with a public notary endorsement. The process can take as much as 90 days. They will look at everything and get a tail number. The drone must be registered. As soon as your drone registration number comes back in a certificate, the aircraft is legal to fly.”

Drone operators also must be aware of off target trespass, Clack said. “They need to be cognizant of environmental concerns and ‘not kill some lady’s rose bushes.’ We must be good stewards.”

Consult with clients

Clack recommends early consultation with customers regarding the fields to be sprayed and what not to spray.

“Who has responsibility for acquiring the chemical? Is water available on the farm, or do we have to bring our own? Who will be responsible for storing the chemical and getting it to the trailer, applicator, or producer?”

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He recommends a written contract. “Put everything on paper so there are no gray areas.”

Considerations should include customer expectations.

“Do they need multi-spectral mapping? Do they need the NDVI, or do we just need defined boundaries? Imaging is an added service.”  Spelling expectations out early will prevent misunderstandings later, Clack said.

Prep to spray

Typical pre-application concerns might include:

  • Best routes to set up your spray controller.

  • Prescription spray needs. Do we have a prescription map to go with and the air density?

  • Airspace, is it class G? Are we in clean airspace? Where does my 44807 exemption say I can fly?

  • Wind direction

  • Temperature

  • Flight plan. Make sure notices to airmen (NOTAM'S) are filed Between 24 and 72 hours prior to the mission.

  • Pre-flight inspection, just like you would a regular aircraft.

  • Water pH

  • Check for Radio Frequency interference, including solar flares.

  • Brief crew members. Make sure every crew member has been trained properly and documented.

Clack said guidelines must ensure that everything is done legally and responsibly.

“I want to make sure my pilots are operating within the balance of safety,” he said. “Safety is the biggest issue for me. That’s my job, and that's what every chief supervisor of operations (CSO) should do.”

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About the Authors

Ron Smith

Contributing Writer, Farm Progress

Ron Smith has spent more than 30 years covering Sunbelt agriculture. Ron began his career in agricultural journalism as an Experiment Station and Extension editor at Clemson University, where he earned a Masters Degree in English in 1975. He served as associate editor for Southeast Farm Press from 1978 through 1989. In 1990, Smith helped launch Southern Turf Management Magazine and served as editor. He also helped launch two other regional Turf and Landscape publications and launched and edited Florida Grove and Vegetable Management for the Farm Press Group. Within two years of launch, the turf magazines were well-respected, award-winning publications. Ron has received numerous awards for writing and photography in both agriculture and landscape journalism. He is past president of The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association and was chosen as the first media representative to the University of Georgia College of Agriculture Advisory Board. He was named Communicator of the Year for the Metropolitan Atlanta Agricultural Communicators Association. Smith also worked in public relations, specializing in media relations for agricultural companies. Ron lives with his wife Pat in Denton, Texas. They have two grown children, Stacey and Nick, and two grandsons, Aaron and Hunter.

Shelley E. Huguley

Senior Editor, Southwest Farm Press

Shelley Huguley has been involved in agriculture for the last 25 years. She began her career in agricultural communications at the Texas Forest Service West Texas Nursery in Lubbock, where she developed and produced the Windbreak Quarterly, a newspaper about windbreak trees and their benefit to wildlife, production agriculture and livestock operations. While with the Forest Service she also served as an information officer and team leader on fires during the 1998 fire season and later produced the Firebrands newsletter that was distributed quarterly throughout Texas to Volunteer Fire Departments. Her most personal involvement in agriculture also came in 1998, when she married the love of her life and cotton farmer Preston Huguley of Olton, Texas. As a farmwife, she knows first-hand the ups and downs of farming, the endless decisions made each season based on “if” it rains, “if” the drought continues, “if” the market holds. She is the bookkeeper for their family farming operation and cherishes moments on the farm such as taking harvest meals to the field or starting a sprinkler in the summer with the whole family lending a hand. Shelley has also freelanced for agricultural companies such as Olton CO-OP Gin, producing the newsletter Cotton Connections while also designing marketing materials to promote the gin. She has published articles in agricultural publications such as Southwest Farm Press while also volunteering her marketing and writing skills to non-profit organizations such as Refuge Services, an equine-assisted therapy group in Lubbock. She and her husband reside in Olton with their three children Breely, Brennon and HalleeKate.

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