They’re not just for hunting terrorists anymore. Once commercial drones are allowed in the sky, the impact on how we grow food could be enormous
They’re not just for hunting terrorists anymore. Once commercial drones are allowed in the sky, the impact on how we grow food could be enormous.
If the FAA keeps to its deadlines, September 30, 2015 will be the day unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, or drones) are allowed enter the airspace for commercial use. And on that late autumn day, many of the first businesses to take their robots out of the box and prepare them for liftoff will be farms.
It’s expected that agriculture— not public safety–will be the number one market for domestic drones.
Across the country, land grant universities are researching ways to make use of the new technology, from aerial imaging of fields, to crop spraying, to monitoring airborne plant pathogens. Robotics manufacturers who have typically eyed the Department of Defense for contracts, are beginning to look to the fields. And lobbyists are hard at work on the Hill, spreading the word to congressmen and FAA officials that “drones” (a word they hate, since it implies there’s no one holding the remote control) can do a lot more than just fight shadow wars in the Middle East and East Africa.
The economic impact will surpass $13.6 billion. Of that economic boost, the much of it will be in agriculture. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a group representing UAS researchers and manufacturers, estimates that in the first three years of the integration of UAS into the airspace, the economic impact will surpass $13.6 billion as new companies and whole new industries form to exploit the technology. Of that economic boost, the AUVSI predicts much of it will be in agriculture.
Here are three ways, in particular, that UAS could change the face of American agriculture:
1: DISEASE DETECTION: By the time a plant typically shows signs of disease, it’s already too late. Researchers at Virginia Tech. are currently tinkering with UAS to track plant pathogens high in the atmosphere.
“It’s essentially petri dishes attached to model airplanes,” says Shane Ross, a professor of dynamical systems at Virginia Tech. Send his team’s UAS on a flight, and they quickly detect the presence of certain microbes, like fusarium, a fungus that plagues wheat and barley. “If you got a whole sentinel network of these things, flying around agricultural fields, then you could have a much better model and prediction of how plant disease spread.” Farmers in Pennsylvania could be tipped off that a disease showed up in Georgia, and would know how likely it was to head their way, based on weather patterns. This would inform their decision to spray.
2: Aerial Imaging of Fields: Canadian company CropCam is just waiting for the U.S. to start letting farmers take advantage of its $7,000 camera-equipped radio-controlled glider plane. The GPS controlled plane will automatically navigate in a pattern over a farmer’s fields while taking geotagged high-resolution images, letting farmers know which parts of the field are thriving and which parts are failing.
If you got a whole sentinel network, then you could have a much better model and prediction of how plant disease spread.
3: Crop Spraying: First introduced to Japanese farmers in 1990, Yamaha’s RMAX helicopter now sprays 30 percent of the country’s rice paddies. Robotic helicopters are perfectly suited to maneuver the rugged terrain and small fields where rice grows–it’s safer than sending manned aircraft.
The Latest Bing News on:
Transforming the food system
- Indiana launches summer food assistance programon April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The new SUN Bucks program provides families a one-time payment of $120 for each eligible school-aged child to help purchase groceries during the summer.
- Addressing sustainable food systems: Global initiatives and innovationson April 24, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Science X is a network of high quality websites with most complete and comprehensive daily coverage of the full sweep of science, technology, and medicine news ...
- Towards sustainable food systems: global initiatives and innovationson April 23, 2024 at 6:07 pm
This study can help counties to formulate corresponding policies and actively promote the transformation of the food system to achieve agricultural ...
- How Regenerative Tourism Is Transforming The Way We Explore The World.on April 23, 2024 at 2:14 pm
Regenerative travel is the next level of sustainability. Offering an authentic, immersive experience while leaving no footprint, this is the next adventure for travel.
- Beyond The Plate: west~bourne’s Shift From Restaurant To Regenerative Manufactureron April 22, 2024 at 5:00 am
When the pandemic shuttered west~bourne's doors in 2020, Marcus took the opportunity to expand west~bourne's impact beyond its physical space, transforming ... health through food. Science shows that ...
- Transforming the future of food protein through diversificationon April 22, 2024 at 2:02 am
Industry leaders are overcoming challenges of funding, consumer preference and scaling solutions sustainably – find out how at the Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins summit.
- How Ozempic Is Transforming a Small Danish Townon April 19, 2024 at 9:01 pm
In Kalundborg, population under 17,000, Novo Nordisk is making huge investments to increase production of its popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy.
- Transforming Agriculture: Big Food Retail Farmers Drone Techon April 19, 2024 at 2:07 am
Utilizing drone technology, Farming for the Future empowers farmers to optimize water usage, reduce waste, and mitigate the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity. By leveraging ...
- How AI Farming Is Already Transforming Americaon April 15, 2024 at 11:00 am
AI farming is one of the most exciting areas investors are overlooking today. Here's how you can invest in the next "green revolution." ...
- Movie Review: ‘Food, Inc. 2’ revisits food system, sees reason for frustration and (a little) hopeon April 11, 2024 at 1:57 pm
The makers of the Oscar-nominated 2008 documentary “Food, Inc.” never planned to make a sequel. They figured they’d said it all in their harrowing look at what they called a broken, unsustainable food ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Transforming the food system
[google_news title=”” keyword=”transforming the food system” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
[/vc_column_text]
The Latest Bing News on:
Uavs for food
- US announces new Patriot missiles for Ukraine as part of new $6 billion aid packageon April 26, 2024 at 3:15 pm
The U.S. will provide Ukraine additional Patriot missiles for its air defense systems as part of a $6 billion additional aid package, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday.
- Ken Levit named to Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Educationon April 26, 2024 at 2:44 pm
Tulsa philanthropy executive Ken Levit was named to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education on Friday by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
- F1 driver Hülkenberg to leave Haas for Sauberon April 26, 2024 at 2:23 pm
Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg is leaving Haas for Sauber at the end of the year, giving the team a German presence on the grid when it rebrands to Audi for 2026.
- US announces additional $6 billion aid package for Ukraineon April 26, 2024 at 1:03 pm
Just days after President Joe Biden signed off on a more than $60 billion package, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced an additional $6 billion for long-term military resources.
- From generators and sonars to tanks and drones: What assistance Ukraine received from UKon April 26, 2024 at 12:43 pm
Great Britain is providing significant support to Ukraine, delivering military, humanitarian, and energy assistance to Kyiv. This includes tanks, missiles, generators, civilian vehicles, and much more ...
- Ubiros Gentle grippers go all electric for reliability, flexibilityon April 26, 2024 at 10:38 am
Ubiros has developed grippers with force-sensing capabilities to bring automation to more picking tasks, explains President Onder Ondemir.
- Govt extends approval for use of drones for spraying pesticides for 1 yearon April 26, 2024 at 9:38 am
The government has extended the interim approval given to plant protection companies for use of drones for spraying specified pesticides. The approval has been extended for one more year starting from ...
- AI Revolutionizes the Future of Foodon April 25, 2024 at 9:11 pm
Artificial intelligence (AI) finds its way into almost every aspect of Americans’ lives. At the end of February, there was a minor scandal regarding fast food burger giant Wendy’s tests with ...
- $5.2 million granted for port improvements in Hawaiion April 25, 2024 at 1:25 am
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced $5.2 million for port improvements in Hawaii under a new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program.
- Zipline’s Drones Reach 1 Million Deliveries, Plans Expansion into Food Serviceon April 22, 2024 at 8:40 pm
Zipline, an autonomous delivery drone startup, has achieved a significant milestone by completing 1 million deliveries to customers.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Uavs for food
[google_news title=”” keyword=”uavs for food” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]