The 10-litre M6E-1 drone from American company HSE Unmanned Aerial Vehicles was one design tested by Baresich. The current cost of this drone, and its accompanying kit, stands at US$11,499. 

Spray drones take wing

Users say flexibility, lower costs key factors in growing interest – despite technological and regulatory limitations

Drones are now being used for spray applications in countries around the world. And while not commercially commonplace in Canada yet, companies and ag-service providers continue investing time and resources in the technology. Despite ongoing technical issues and unanswered practical questions, some think sprayer drones can bring a variety of agronomic, health, and human resource

Today’s drones are great at selecting pastures and tracking cattle, can read an ear tag from 70 metres up, and offer spectral imaging a hundred times more powerful than 
satellites, says researcher John Church. And while they’re not good at herding, drone technology is close to offering health assessments of individual cows.

Plunging prices and better tech should put drones on your radar

Drones with sophisticated imaging tech can be robust precision tools for managing cattle on pasture

Producers are always being pitched new technology, and the marketing din is arguably louder than ever in this age of precision agriculture. So when producers ask if unmanned aerial vehicles are just expensive toys, it’s a fair question. While John Church would be the first to admit he has a lot of fun researching the


Matthew Johnson, founder of M3 Aerial Productions, poses with his fixed-wing drone, one of several his company uses to provide drone services to farmers since the agricultural branch of his company launched last year.

Tighter drone regs affect agricultural use

Restrictions to within nine kilometres of an ‘aerodrome’ affect much of agricultural Manitoba

Assiniboine Community College’s agribusiness program has grounded most drone flights while professors sort through new regulations around their operation. The new Transport Canada rules released March 16 limit recreational drones between 250 grams and 35 kilograms to within 90 metres of the ground, at least 75 metres away from structures, people or vehicles, to daylight

Australia is finding high-tech solutions are going to take an educated workforce.

Australia is a leader in high-tech agriculture

The country seeks to plug its shortage in 
rural labour with technology solutions

Parts of Australia’s farming industry are rushing to recruit a new generation of tech-savvy graduates as the sector swaps its bucolic past for a future of drones, robots and automated sensors. The push comes as cutting-edge machinery is used to plug a labour shortage on the nation’s remote farms that threatens to derail its ambitions

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles offer great promise, but aren’t going to replace old-fashioned scouting just yet.

Boots on the ground must support scouting technology

The existing technology can detect variation in a field, but not why that variation exists

There’s no shortage of technology available to help researchers, agronomists, and farmers scout their fields. From satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) to smartphone apps, there are plenty of tools out there. Just don’t expect them to replace boots on the ground any time soon. The limitation of current remote-sensing technology, such


M3 Aerial’s fixed-wing AgEagle RX60 UAV.

Supporting boots on the ground with an eye in the sky

Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association looks to complement its 
Green Gold central testing program with drone data

After 20 years of relying on clipping samples for its Green Gold program, Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association (MFGA) is bringing in the air force. It’s recently begun investigating the addition of drone imagery to predict the optimum window to harvest alfalfa. “We are continuing to grow our Green Gold program in all ways possible,”

Manitoba Potato Production Days hosted a panel discussion on drones in Brandon on January 27. Dr. Ian MacRae (l to r), professor and extension entomologist at the University of Minnesota, Craig Linde, diversification specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Trevor Thornton, president of Crop Care Consulting, Darren White, agronomist with Delta Ag Services.


Discussing drones

A panel of industry experts sheds some light on the drone 
landscape for producers interested in investing in the equipment

Interested in diving into the world of drones? Start small, a panel of agronomists told farmers attending Manitoba Potato Production Days Jan. 27. “I would suggest starting with a small piece of equipment,” said Trevor Thornton, president of Crop Care Consulting. “A lot of guys want something that they can keep in their truck and

Alpha Technologies Inc.’s pilots have more than 20 years’ experience flying drones and are looking to provide surveillance services for Manitoba producers.

Simplifying producer access to drone data

A Winnipeg technology company will soon be offering drone surveillance services

So you want to utilize drone technology on your operation but aren’t sure where to start? A Winnipeg tech company may have an option for you. Alpha Technologies is looking to offer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance services. “What we are working on is offering very accurate ground assessment as far as altitude, height and


U.S. officials say they now get reports every day of “potentially unsafe” drone operations, such as over wildfires, near airports and over major sports events.

U.S. consulting on registration for aerial drones

Canada plans a registration process for light unmanned aircraft next year

U.S. federal transportation and aviation officials are at the drawing board on a registration process for unmanned aircraft systems, more popularly known as drones. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Michael Huerta on Oct. 19 announced they will set up a task force to develop recommendations for such a process and

drone

KAP doesn’t want new UAV regs to unnecessarily ground farmers

Dan Mazier agrees safety is important, but in wide-open rural areas Transport Canada’s 
regulations need to be flexible enough to reflect the reduced risk of flight mishaps

Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, need regulation to ensure safety but the rules shouldn’t be so onerous as to prevent farmers from flying them, says Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Dan Mazier “KAP would like dialogue before they (Transport Canada) make regulations,” Mazier said in an interview Sept. 3. “If they are