K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
Coffee farmers and cattle ranchers are taking to the skies to control their crops and animals, using drones to not only spray fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides on their plants, but also to assess their health and even locate stray cattle.
The technology has been identified as a viable alternative to many labor-intensive processes on agricultural lands, able to do everything from weed control to helping farmers predict seasonal harvest yields and plant health.
But Hawaii is lagging behind on implementing the technology, one which proponents and agricultural insiders say could help alleviate many of the issues farmers face across the state. The expense of purchasing and operating the drones, despite their increasing affordability, is holding the state back from fully investing.
The number of farms in Hawaii regularly using drone technology remains small, according to Suzanne Shriner, executive director of the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council.
The Kona coffee farmer says that within the council's membership – which represents the macadamia nut, coffee, papaya and floriculture industries – there is a lot of interest from a labor standpoint but it is still "new" technology for farmers.
Continue reading: https://patch.com/hawaii/honolulu/drones-can-take-farming-another-level-hawaii-lagging
The technology has been identified as a viable alternative to many labor-intensive processes on agricultural lands, able to do everything from weed control to helping farmers predict seasonal harvest yields and plant health.
But Hawaii is lagging behind on implementing the technology, one which proponents and agricultural insiders say could help alleviate many of the issues farmers face across the state. The expense of purchasing and operating the drones, despite their increasing affordability, is holding the state back from fully investing.
The number of farms in Hawaii regularly using drone technology remains small, according to Suzanne Shriner, executive director of the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council.
The Kona coffee farmer says that within the council's membership – which represents the macadamia nut, coffee, papaya and floriculture industries – there is a lot of interest from a labor standpoint but it is still "new" technology for farmers.
Continue reading: https://patch.com/hawaii/honolulu/drones-can-take-farming-another-level-hawaii-lagging
