Agriculture a promising market for drones

PORTLAND – Idaho farmer Robert Blair isn’t waiting around for federal aviation officials to work out rules for drones. He and a friend built their own, outfitting it with cameras and using it to monitor his 1,500 acres.

Less than 10 pounds and 5 feet long nose to tail, the aircraft is the size of a turkey and Blair uses it to get a bird’s-eye view of his cows and fields of wheat, peas, barley and alfalfa.

“It’s a great tool to collect information to make better decisions, and we’re just scratching the surface of what it can do for farmers,” said Blair, who lives in Kendrick, Idaho, southeast of Moscow.

Experts point to agriculture as the most promising commercial market for drones because the technology is a perfect fit for large-scale farms and rural areas where privacy and safety issues are less of a concern.

Farmers, researchers and companies are developing unmanned aircraft systems equipped with cameras and other sensors to survey crops, monitor for disease or precision-spray pesticides and fertilizers.

Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are already used overseas in agriculture, including Japan and Brazil.

And the possibilities are endless: Flying gizmos could be used to ward off birds from fields, pollinate trees, do snow surveys to forecast water supply, monitor irrigation, or plant and harvest crops.

The technology could revolutionize agriculture, farmers say, by boosting crop health, improving field management practices, reducing costs and increasing yields.

The Federal Aviation Administration does not allow drones in commercial use. The FAA does allow public agencies – including law enforcement and other governmental agencies – to get a certificate of authorization to operate unmanned aircraft in civil airspace.

Blair’s drone, built in 2008, is essentially a model airplane – allowed by the FAA, as long as it’s flown below 400 feet above ground level, far from populated areas, and no one is compensated for the flight.

Blair said the UAV gives him a complete aerial view of his crops. He said he also uses it to gather historical data on his crops – which can help validate crop loss or animal damage when applying for government programs like crop insurance.

Companies large and small are racing to develop the technology.

University of Oregon researchers flew drones this summer over potato fields to monitor for disease. Oregon nurseries have also partnered with researchers to test unmanned technology to count potted trees.

In Florida, farmers and researchers have used small unmanned helicopters equipped with infrared cameras to monitor orange trees for the deadly citrus greening, a bacterial disease that kills the trees. Greening begins at the top of the tree.

And at the University of California, Davis, professors have teamed up with Yamaha Motor Corp. USA to fly unmanned remote-controlled helicopters to spray vineyards and orchards.