Drone service for farmers, hunters and foresters
drones in agriculture
Aerial photography using drones helps in a variety of applications in agriculture and forestry. They allow you to survey and analyze fields and forests from a bird's eye view.
The use of drones makes it possible to act quickly, efficiently and economically. Farmers, hunters and foresters receive information that minimizes work and costs and maximizes benefits.
The meadow is about to be mowed, but it is uncertain whether a fawn is hiding somewhere?
The corn looks healthy from the edge of the field - but is the European corn borer active a few hundred meters away?
Can the settings of the fertilizer spreader be tweaked to suit the needs of the plants?
What did the storm do - how bad is the hail damage or the damage caused by wildlife? The list could be continued at will. Who hasn't wished to get to the middle of the field as quickly as possible after heavy rain without having to drive through a two meter high stand! But it is not only in such extreme situations that the use of a drone can be useful in many ways.
smart farming
Precision Farming & Smart Farming has arrived in practice in recent years and is continuously gaining in importance. In addition to tractors, which are now often equipped with several displays and together with electronically controlled attachments, drones are also being used more and more frequently. More and more farmers want precise data on the condition of their stocks. When it comes to pest and weed control, precise information enables a targeted, more economical use of chemical agents. This has a positive effect on nature and wallet. Even a beginner drone with an ordinary camera serves the farmer well. Without having to drive on the field, he can see where weeds are more prevalent or where fungal diseases and feeding damage are to be found.
The advantages over, for example, sentinel satellite images with a resolution of 10x10 meters per point
What are the advantages of a multispectral camera in agriculture?
If you want to know more about the nutrient supply of the plants, it is worth flying over the field with a drone including a multispectral camera. With multispectral cameras, different values of plant health can be determined, leading to more efficient post-treatment. Several special cameras record the data from the same partial area. Each camera specializes in a small section of the color spectrum. This results in recordings that give the farmer information about the health of his plants. For example, healthy, vital plants reflect much more intensively in the near infrared range than in the visible red color band. In the case of stressed plants, this difference quickly diminishes - and that is a warning signal for the farmer. At this point in the field, the exact causes must be sought. Optimizing work processes and yields is important in every profession, including agriculture. By means of multispectral recordings, the farmer also receives information about the nitrogen and water requirements of the plants, for example, which can vary depending on the soil conditions with otherwise the same rainfall. Nutrient deficiencies are visible, as is insufficient watering. The health of the crops is documented and analyzed on the basis of the different recordings and perspectives. Diseases or parasite infestation can thus be detected in good time and a possible loss of the harvest can be prevented. Pest infestation such as by bark beetles in forests is also indicated by light spectra,
Corn borer control with drones
The drone as an applicator of crop protection and fertilizer
The example of combating the corn borer shows how the use of drones makes work easier for farmers and reduces the time required. While parasitic wasp eggs to combat the European corn borer were often laboriously deployed by hand, this work can now be done by a drone: it can cover up to ten hectares in one hour. At regular, programmable intervals, the drone drops capsules containing the eggs of the predators. Even with these load drones, which weigh more than ten kilograms, the acquisition costs for individual companies are usually not profitable. This is where drone service providers come in, offering this application as a service. Experts take over the coordination of the right time according to the recommendations of the Chamber of Agriculture, experienced pilots fly over and drop the beneficial insects. Although the drone has to stay on the ground in the rain and strong winds, it can still work on wet ground immediately after the rain or over tall plants. In contrast to tractors, the drone does not compact the soil and does not damage even higher crops.
Corn borer control with drones
The drone as an applicator of crop protection and fertilizer
The example of combating the corn borer shows how the use of drones makes work easier for farmers and reduces the time required. While parasitic wasp eggs to combat the European corn borer were often laboriously deployed by hand, this work can now be done by a drone: it can cover up to ten hectares in one hour. At regular, programmable intervals, the drone drops capsules containing the eggs of the predators. Even with these load drones, which weigh more than ten kilograms, the acquisition costs for individual companies are usually not profitable. This is where drone service providers come in, offering this application as a service. Experts take over the coordination of the right time according to the recommendations of the Chamber of Agriculture, experienced pilots fly over and drop the beneficial insects. Although the drone has to stay on the ground in the rain and strong winds, it can still work on wet ground immediately after the rain or over tall plants. In contrast to tractors, the drone does not compact the soil and does not damage even higher crops.
Spray drones in agriculture
Already at the Agritechnica 2019 DJI presented agricultural drones that could load 20kg, e.g. crop protection products. According to DJI, it has already treated 20 million hectares in China with 42,000 such spray drones. The positioning technology is based on RTK and 5G data connections. Accordingly, the devices fly with centimeter precision. With skilful use of aerodynamics and the air flow of the propellers, these special drones enable massively improved crop penetration and precise treatments despite smaller deployment quantities. One of the current development goals of the manufacturer DJI are cargo drones, for example for spreading fertilizer.In the future, tractors will no longer have to leave tracks after sowing through established crops. The tractor still has its original task, sowing and tillage - but crop maintenance can be done from the air.
In Europe, a so-called farm drone was presented in Germany, for example, in 2015, but there was no legal basis for the further development and promotion of agricultural drone technology within the EU. Most of the drones advertised at Agritechnica 2019 were dreams of the future. After all, the legal situation has changed throughout Europe since January 1st at the latest. Changed permanently in 2021.
Spray drones in agriculture
Already at the Agritechnica 2019 DJI presented agricultural drones that could load 20kg, e.g. crop protection products. According to DJI, it has already treated 20 million hectares in China with 42,000 such spray drones. The positioning technology is based on RTK and 5G data connections. Accordingly, the devices fly with centimeter precision. With skilful use of aerodynamics and the air flow of the propellers, these special drones enable massively improved crop penetration and precise treatments despite smaller deployment quantities. One of the current development goals of the manufacturer DJI are cargo drones, for example for spreading fertilizer.In the future, tractors will no longer have to leave tracks after sowing through established crops. The tractor still has its original task, sowing and tillage - but crop maintenance can be done from the air.
In Europe, a so-called farm drone was presented in Germany, for example, in 2015, but there was no legal basis for the further development and promotion of agricultural drone technology within the EU. Most of the drones advertised at Agritechnica 2019 were dreams of the future. After all, the legal situation has changed throughout Europe since January 1st at the latest. Changed permanently in 2021.
Game damage measurement & tree inventory analysis
Game damage is a major expense for farmers and hunters. That is why our drones are also used to prevent damage caused by game. The hunter can follow the deer crossing better by means of monitoring and act in good time, which is very helpful due to the increasing wild boar population and the associated damage caused by game. By using our thermal imaging cameras, wild animals can be located quickly.
However, if game damage occurs, we can precisely measure and document the damaged area.
Fawn rescue by drone
Drones can be very helpful, especially during the mowing season!
Every year in Germany alone, more than 100,000 fawns die the so-called mowing death. The best way to avoid this cruel spectacle is to fly over the fields with a drone and thermal imaging camera. A thermal imaging camera is much better at capturing the “warm” fawn bodies in tall grass than a normal camera drone. Fawns often lie low in tall grass and are not visible to the naked eye, even if you stand a few feet from them.
With the help of drones, the fawns can be tracked down before the mowing work and professionally removed from the field and thus saved.
