Ames, Iowa (RI) — The Iowa State University Rural Life Poll finds many farmers have not yet embraced the use of drones as a tool.
J. Arbuckle oversees the poll.
He says most farmers in the poll hire others to do the drone work.
There were also a small number who say they rent a drone or borrow one from a neighbor.
Extension specialist Doug Houser, who conducts drone-training classes, says the most common use is scouting fields.
Other uses include applying pesticides, planting cover crops, and applying fertilizer. House says drones capable of those tasks can cost $45,000 or more, which is why many farmers hire professionals for those services.
He says wet conditions last fall showed one advantage of drone spraying.
Houser says the drones offer much more flexibility in scouting fields than the old fashioned “windshield survey” gathered by driving along fields.
He says drones continue to improve.
He says there’s technology that allows drone to identify weeds in fields through imaging, allowing farmers to target only the areas that need treatment, saving both time and spray.
KIWA Staff Photo
