LOS BANOS, CA - As we approach the close of our fifth consecutive summer drought, California growers are looking to another kind of technology to trim on water use.
With the use of drones equipped with state-of-the-art thermal cameras, some growers are monitoring their fields from the sky for things like leaks in irrigation lines and areas that need more attention.
As they become both easier to use and more affordable, NBC News reports that drone technology is becoming more and more of a farm tool in not only California, but also Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Latin America.
“Hook it up to a smartphone. Boom. Take off and you're in business,'' said Ian Smith of San Francisco-based DroneDeploy, an industry leader in drone software development.
More recently, growers can order a commercial-grade drone online for $2,000 and receive it in the mail days later, Smith continued.
While many farmers have not yet exercised the full potential the technology presents, a few spanning from ranchers to fresh produce growers have, and reported the potential of saving enough water to equate hundreds of family households, according to the report.
One thing that may help open the doors a little wider is a change in the rules of the operation for commercial drones.
Yesterday, August 29, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a system to grant exemptions to some rules for those companies who show they can operate drones safely, requiring a written test instead of flying and gaining a $150 license. With an estimated 600,000 drones hitting the skies this year, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta stated that the administration created an environment where emerging technology can be rapidly introduced while protecting the safety of the world’s airspace, according to CBS News.
Brandon Stark, Director of the University of California's Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Safety, said the change, and emerging technologies, could further attract growers to using drones as tools.
"We're just getting started. The research is still inits infancy,” Stark told NBC, adding that he is seeking drone use that would enable the ag industry to diagnose what ails a plant, such as deficiencies in water, from the sky instead of the field.
We will continue to report as technologies and innovations seek to save water and other resources in the fresh produce industry.
