K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
With prices and availability of agricultural chemicals questionable for 2022, precise and timely field applications could be more important than ever to crop producers’ bottom lines.
For overcoming wet fields, limited applicator availability and in-field obstacles, one Missouri-based company has the answer.
Agri Spray Drones was founded by Taylor Moreland in January 2020 near Centralia, Mo., after years of research into the agricultural drone marketplace and a career as a crop consultant and dealer for Pioneer.
“New technology, knowledge of agriculture and the applications these drones could have, as well as customer support — those were all key things I wanted to bring to the table,” Moreland said.
“When we make claims about efficiency or durability we want those claims to have been field-tested and grounded in truth.”
How it works
Drones are increasingly more common, even in rural America. Chances are a friend or neighbor has a small quad-copter model piloted by a joystick or an iPad application. Agri-Spray’s drones are different in size, quality and application than any small personal drone on the market.
“The initial reaction to these drones for people who are used to traditional ground rigs is to think it will take all day to spray 20 acres,” Moreland said. “And if these were designed to do the same type of application as a ground rig it probably would. But, these are much more similar to airplane or helicopter applications.”
Agri-Spray drones can be more efficient for small, tree-lined fields, wet ground or for areas where it may be dangerous to transport a traditional spray rig from field to field.
While the tank still needs to be mixed appropriately and the batteries must be kept charged, the drones Agri Spray offers do just about everything else on their own.
“The beauty of our drones is that they’re completely autonomous,” Moreland said. “You set your field boundaries and the drone maps out a route across the field. Once you’ve filled the spray tank and put in the battery you’re essentially ready to go.”
The software used for Agri Spray drones can be used in a variety of different applications, including variable rate applications for applying fertilizer or broadcasting seed, but their primary function is to efficiently navigate even complex fields.
“The software is quite a bit different than most traditional tractor-based field mapping software and that’s a good thing,” Moreland said.
Continue reading: https://www.enidnews.com/news/ag_energy/drones-offer-alternatives-to-traditional-spraying/article_4a37edc8-48b9-11ec-8eae-63b8708743eb.html
For overcoming wet fields, limited applicator availability and in-field obstacles, one Missouri-based company has the answer.
Agri Spray Drones was founded by Taylor Moreland in January 2020 near Centralia, Mo., after years of research into the agricultural drone marketplace and a career as a crop consultant and dealer for Pioneer.
“New technology, knowledge of agriculture and the applications these drones could have, as well as customer support — those were all key things I wanted to bring to the table,” Moreland said.
“When we make claims about efficiency or durability we want those claims to have been field-tested and grounded in truth.”
How it works
Drones are increasingly more common, even in rural America. Chances are a friend or neighbor has a small quad-copter model piloted by a joystick or an iPad application. Agri-Spray’s drones are different in size, quality and application than any small personal drone on the market.
“The initial reaction to these drones for people who are used to traditional ground rigs is to think it will take all day to spray 20 acres,” Moreland said. “And if these were designed to do the same type of application as a ground rig it probably would. But, these are much more similar to airplane or helicopter applications.”
Agri-Spray drones can be more efficient for small, tree-lined fields, wet ground or for areas where it may be dangerous to transport a traditional spray rig from field to field.
While the tank still needs to be mixed appropriately and the batteries must be kept charged, the drones Agri Spray offers do just about everything else on their own.
“The beauty of our drones is that they’re completely autonomous,” Moreland said. “You set your field boundaries and the drone maps out a route across the field. Once you’ve filled the spray tank and put in the battery you’re essentially ready to go.”
The software used for Agri Spray drones can be used in a variety of different applications, including variable rate applications for applying fertilizer or broadcasting seed, but their primary function is to efficiently navigate even complex fields.
“The software is quite a bit different than most traditional tractor-based field mapping software and that’s a good thing,” Moreland said.
Continue reading: https://www.enidnews.com/news/ag_energy/drones-offer-alternatives-to-traditional-spraying/article_4a37edc8-48b9-11ec-8eae-63b8708743eb.html
