Drones are everywhere. Whether it’s taking sweeping, panoramic video of landscapes, delivering packages, racing, or doing incredible aerial maneuvers for social media fans – there’s even a pilotable drone for transportation (though it will likely be a while before we see our neighbors flying them to work). The point is, it was only going to be so long before we found them above our fields spraying our crops.
Pratum Co-op is one of those early area adopters of this relatively new innovation. Founded in 1946, the cooperative has grown through its steady yet innovative approach towards developing new ways to serve its customers.
Their drone program began testing in the fall of 2022 and was officially launched in February of 2023. Since then, these flying machines have sprayed over 11,000 acres of grass, berries, vegetables and more. It’s tempting to think of this cross between a conventional sprayer and a crop duster as the ‘the future’ of spraying because of how versatile it is, but unfortunately, there are limitations.
“I think it’s a great tool. It’s not an everything tool,” said Chris Kaiser who manages the drone spraying program for Pratum Co-op. But where it shines, it certainly shines.
“Irrigation is a big one,” Kaiser said. “Growers don’t have to move hand lines. All they have to do is turn off the water, wait for the plants to dry down enough. We come in and spray, they can turn the water back on after a couple hours and don't have to send the crews out moving hand lines.”
This is interesting conceptually from the labor perspective. Instead of automation replacing jobs, drone spraying facilitates an improved workload for the irrigators. That means less overtime hours, and less effort trying to find more good help.
The drones also don’t leave a physical footprint like conventional sprayers so wet conditions don’t matter as much. They are also GPS operated and very consistent. Financially, they are a good option for smaller operations that might not want to buy a sprayer – but cheaper than a crop duster – making farming more economically viable for our producers.
There are limitations, however. FAA regulations ban certain types of chemicals from being sprayed aerially – drones fall under the same regulatory scope as crop dusters and helicopters. Coverage is also less than conventional sprayers and higher off the ground, so spray drift and weather conditions must be considered.
In all, these cons do not outweigh the benefits producers have come to enjoy. Kaiser summed up the increasing demand for drone work well when talking about a blueberry grower he was about to spray for: “For them, it’s hitting the easy button.”
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