Technology THE benefits of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones as crop scouting tools are obvious. They enable farmers to spot problems in the field they didn’t even know they had, often more quickly and easily than traditional scouting methods. That — coupled with the fact UAVs have dropped dramatically in price in recent years — is why more growers in Alberta are utilizing them to help nurture their crops and improve overall farm management. Markus Weber is co-founder of Landview Drones, an Edmonton-based company that sells fixed wing and multi-rotor UAVs and also provides operator training. Since the start of the business in 2015, the vast majority of their customers have been farmers and agronomists, reflecting the rising interest in drone technology in the agriculture sector. Weber says his company integrates everything a farmer or agronomist requires in order to operate a drone themselves, rather than hiring a professional UAV service provider. "We outfit them with everything they need, from the drone itself to the sensors and all the software they need to be able to process the data; and lastly, we would provide the training to be able to do it legally and safely,” he says. UAVs today are generally easier to operate than ever. Weber notes while some of their farm customers originally bought drones for fun, they later discovered how useful they could be for spotting problems in their fields. “People often buy them for recreational uses, and then once they start using them, they realize what a great scouting tool it makes and they start using it on their farm,” Weber says. “Almost without fail, once they get an aerial view of their farm from relatively low altitude, they're finding out about problems they didn't know they had.” Weber says the insights gained from an eye in the sky can help assess general crop health and inform farm management decisions, such as where to spray to best control weeds, insects and disease. He adds drones are also useful for spotting patterns in the field that could indicate serious issues with farm equipment, such as a problem with a seeder not operating properly that may be causing uneven germination in a field. “All these kinds of things that just become plainly visible from the air aren't as easily visible from the ground,” says Weber. “If you can discover a problem with your equipment that you can remedy, that's worth thousands of dollars to a farmer. So that currently is providing the most value.” Drones are proving to be valuable crop scouting tools for growers and agronomists in Alberta. EYE SKY IN THE Robin Harrison is chief drone pilot for JTS Agrow, a farm input dealership near Bruce, Alta., that also provides UAV services for farmers. He believes time is a big reason why drones are growing in popularity among farmers and agronomists. Landview Drones co-founder Markus Weber with a FireFLY6 fixed-wing drone. Photo courtesy Landview Drones Jan Zalud from JZAerial collaborated with Chris Neeser in his research work. Photo courtesy JZAerial/AAF 14 www.seed.ab.ca | Advancing Seed in Alberta