Drone and variable rate application are two new technologies in agriculture. When paired together have the ability to save farmers both time and money.
Variable rate technology is a part of precision agriculture. According to the USDA it is becoming very popular all across the country. Precision agriculture is technological advancements that give farmers more detailed information that helps them make better decisions. In the past farmers had to use broad, field wide data points. They weren’t always accurate at depicting the situation in the field. Now, farmers get multiple data points for every acre which gives more accuracy and detailed information.
Variable Rate Technology
Variable rate technology, or VRT, helps get the desired product to the area that needs it the most and is most likely to benefit from it. This can be with seeding, fertilizer, or fungicide applications. This allows farmers to optimize their better performing acres as well as get their lesser performing acres up to speed. This is done by setting up management zones throughout your filed which can be done by your local agronomist or ag chemical dealer. These management zones are then prescribed a certain amount of seed or chemical to be applied. These prescriptions are then inputted into specialized sprayers/spreaders or planters to be carried out.
Drones also have the ability to use variable rate prescription maps to spray and spread product across fields at a specific rate. Multispectral sensors mounted to drones have the ability to make a health map. These health maps can be uploaded into a spray drone to carry out application process. Drones use GPS and RTK technology to be able to precisely apply product. This is very different compared to other forms of aerial application such as helicopters and airplanes. They do not have the ability to do variable rate application very precisely. They can apply products at the desired rate to the entire field, but they do not offer the level of precision that is needed.
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