Farmers and anyone in the ag industry who wants to know more about how drones can be used on farms and in specific operations should consider attending the Drone Uses for Agriculture Roadshow at 11 a.m. Aug. 13 at Iowa State University’s Ag Engineering and Agronomy Research Farm, west of Ames.

These small, unmanned aircraft systems give farmers a unique and efficient means of monitoring their fields and farming operations from above. However, drone use hasn’t caught on in agriculture as rapidly as experts had first thought. Show organizers are hoping to increase farmer knowledge of drones, and document some of the concerns and issues farmers may be experiencing with this technology.

“We want to gain an understanding of what the current perception of drones is among farmers and other potential users in agriculture, and make sure that the technology is solving practical problems when it gets down to the farm level,” says Trevor Witt, a UAS remote sensing specialist. He is with Kansas State University and will be presenting at the event.

Drones on the farm

The drone field day at the ISU farm will include a discussion on current and future uses of drones in agriculture. The program that day will then transition to demonstrations of large-area and real-time mapping, subsampling, and aerial application using popular models of drones.

Participants will also receive a free jump drive loaded with sample data sets, a free workbook and lunch. Also, a survey will be taken to gauge farmer perception and understanding of drones.

Warren Pierson, program specialist with ISU’s Field Extension Education Lab, says drone use in agriculture is promising, but farmers and researchers need more information before the technology becomes widespread. “There are a lot of things that this technology could be used for, but I don’t know that we understand all of the programs and applications just yet,” he says.

Farmer survey results

Results from the survey will help guide future research and outreach efforts centered around drones, and how to make them more meaningful at the farm level.

The Drone Uses for Agriculture Roadshow is funded by the National Science Foundation’s “Midwest Big Data Hub: Digital Agriculture Spoke,” and is being offered in seven states, in partnership with various companies and universities. The roadshow will make a stop in Hillsboro, N.D., Aug. 2; Sutherland, Neb., Aug. 6; and in Kansas, Aug. 9. More information, including registration, is available on the Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus website.

Source: ISU, which is responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and its subsidiaries aren’t responsible for any content in this information asset.