Drones have become invaluable tools in countless industries over the last few years. In regard to industrial applications, these machines can do work faster and more efficiently than more conventional methods. One industry that's being transformed as a result of drone technology is agriculture. Drones have revolutionized the agriculture industry by giving farmers a way to better monitor plant health and a faster way to spray their crops with pesticides.
The agriculture industry as a whole is arguably the biggest benefactor of drone capabilities. Drones can have such an incredible impact on the agriculture industry. For this reason, the future of drone agriculture work is extremely bright.
If you're a farmer, drone technology has given you an innovative way to better manage your crops. If you're a drone service provider, getting into the agriculture industry is a particularly lucrative prospect.
Uses of Drones In Agriculture
Drone technology has truly been a game-changer in the agriculture industry. Though drones and farming are a seemingly unlikely combination, these machines have made it easier for farmers to spray their crops with pesticides and monitor their health on an ongoing basis. The end result is a larger, healthier crop yield which is a great thing for everyone.
Spraying Crops With Pesticides
Drone technology has created an innovative solution that helps farmers spray their crops more efficiently. When done with conventional methods, spraying a field of crops can take several people countless hours, and the crops likely won't be sprayed consistently. But with a drone, spraying the same area can be done in a fraction of the time and with much higher precision and consistency.
The Best Drone on the Market for Spraying Crops
The DJI MG-1P is the best drone solution on the market for crop spraying. This impressive machine is a testament to the progress of industrial drone technology. This beast of a drone is packed with some amazing features that we'll discuss.
- This drone's spraying system has a five-meter coverage. This means it can cover six hectares of land in just one hour. When traveling 10 miles per hour, the amount of crops this drone can cover seems unreal when compared to conventional methods of spraying. This also makes spraying more uniform and consistent.
- The drone supports route planning. When flying pre-planned routes, the MG-1P makes banking turns. This maximizes efficiency and saves spray. What's more, it makes the actual spraying process effortless for the pilot, as the entire route can be flown autonomously.
- The MG-1P is equipped with a wide-angle FPV camera that has a high definition transmission system. This is helpful for accurate navigation when the pilot decides to manually control the drone. The wide-angle camera will give the operator maximum situational awareness.
- This drone is equipped with bright dual searchlights. These lights make it possible to operate in low light conditions, which is super advantageous for farmers that need to spray in the early morning or evening.
- The MG-1P has a range of three kilometers, an impressive range for a drone that flies so close to the ground. This range and robust transmission system will come in handy when operating in large fields that span several hectares.
- The drone's remote controller can control up to five drones at any given time. This feature allows pilots to work even more efficiently.
- The MG-1P is equipped with an impressive obstacle avoidance system and an omnidirectional radar that can detect the smallest of obstacles well in advance. This is helpful when flying around thin guy wires or other small obstacles. The radar system can also detect changes in terrain slope, which allows the drone to continue along its path despite hills and inclines. You don't have to worry about the radar being damaged by water or pesticide, as it has a weather-resistant coating.
- This drone can continue its mission even with a damaged or broken motor. If one motor is out of commission, the computer can make the other seven compensate for the loss and carry on. This failsafe feature makes this drone extremely reliable.
- The MG-1P is equipped with RTK antennas that protect the drone from electromagnetic interference. This is particularly useful when operating near towers or other structures that might otherwise cause electromagnetic interference. These antennas also give the drone accurate positioning within a centimeter.
Check out DJI's video of the MG-1P for more information.
Monitoring Plant Health
One of the ways drones have simplified the agriculture industry is through plant health monitoring. Drones are capable of gathering data that can show which parts of a field are thriving and which areas need more attention. For farmers, this data can mean the difference between a prosperous season and a season with a bad yield.
With a quality drone and a program like DroneDeploy, farmers can create maps of their fields with a plant health overlay that show which parts of the field need attention.
Using a flight planning program, pilots can fly a grid pattern around a field, and the drone will take photos every few seconds. DroneDeploy can then stitch these photos together to create a high-resolution map of the area. Then, analyzing the small color differences that the camera picked up in the photos, the software can show which areas are healthy and which aren't. This data can reveal which areas might be suffering from pests and which areas don't have efficient irrigation.
You might be thinking — isn't it obvious which parts of a field aren't healthy just by looking at it? Actually, no. Modern cameras can pick up millions of colors. Computer software analyzes and interprets the slight differences in color, more than the human eye can. What's more, drones can survey large areas to collect this data. Even if the human eye could analyze these color differences and draw meaningful conclusions from them, doing so would be impossible without a bird's eye view of the area. In this way, drones enable us to get a strategic perspective of crop fields that would otherwise be unattainable.
Thus, drones have made it incredibly fast, easy, and efficient to gather actionable plant health data.
Drones to Use for Plant Health Monitoring
We're going to go over the idea features of a drone that's used for this purpose.
- Camera quality. To get the most accurate plant health data, the drone you use should have a good camera. The camera is the most important feature because it's what actually gathers the data. Camera quality is pertinent when it comes to creating accurate plant health maps. Some people assert that a mechanical shutter is absolutely necessary for all things mapping. But we argue the contrary, especially if the drone is just gathering data for plant health maps. If the flight speed is low enough, a rolling shutter won't cause a problematic amount of distortion on a plant health map. The camera on most entry-level professional drones will suffice for this purpose.
- Flight planning support. In order for a drone to be used for mapping, it needs to have some kind of flight planner. Flight planners allow you to pre-plan a customized route that allows the drone to capture the necessary data. For example, DJI drones are compatible with DroneDeploy's flight planner. If you use a non-DJI drone, just make sure the manufacturer's drone app has an integrated route planning feature. While mapping is still possible without a flight planner, it's significantly more difficult.
- Flight time. The drone's maximum flight time per battery is another important specification on a plant health mapping drone. When mapping larger fields, longer maximum flight time is critical. For example, depending on the flight speed, mapping a 15-20 acre field can potentially take upwards of 20 minutes. For this reason, we recommend that a drone used for this purpose have a flight time of at least 25 minutes.
Now that we've gone over some specifications to consider when getting a drone for plant health mapping, we'll talk about two drones in particular that are excellent options.
The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is a great choice for plant health mapping. This drone's 20-megapixel camera has no problem capturing stills that contain the data necessary for accurate plant health maps. Additionally, the Mavic 2 Pro is compatible with DroneDeploy's flight planning feature. The Mavic 2 Pro also has a 31 minute maximum flight time. This is more than enough to capture the images for these maps. The Mavic 2 Pro also folds up into a small, compact profile. This makes it remarkably portable, which is a huge bonus. Overall, the Mavic 2 Pro is an incredible choice for a host of industrial applications, agriculture included. This drone's price point is reasonable for the value it brings to the industry.
The Autel Robotics Evo is another great drone for plant health mapping. The Evo has a 12-megapixel camera that's capable of taking adequate stills for mapping purposes. With a 94 degree field of view, the camera can capture a significant amount of data in each photo. The Autel Evo has a maximum flight time of up to 30 minutes, which is ideal for mapping purposes. The Autel Explorer app also has a mission planning feature that allows quick and easy route planning for mapping purposes. The Evo also folds up and is extremely portable. As an added bonus, the Evo is a particularly affordable option compared to other similar drones on the market.
Part 107 Certification
Before we get too far into it, we need to point out that, in order to legally use drones in agriculture, you need to have an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate. This is true even if you're a farmer that wants to invest in your own drone to improve crop yields. Any commercial use of a drone requires an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.
But don't let this intimidate you or make you rethink your decision to invest in a drone for agriculture. We created the ultimate guide to the Part 107 certification to help navigate you through the process.
Why Farmers Should Invest In Agriculture Drones
If you're a farmer whose income and livelihood depends on large, healthy crop yields, you should consider investing in an agriculture drone to make your farming more efficient.
The prospect of implementing drones in your farming might be daunting due to the high cost of equipment. This is understandable. After all, an $18,000 purchase for a drone that sprays pesticide is a big deal. But we want to make the prospect of buying one of these machines a little bit less intimidating. To do so, we'll discuss several reasons that agriculture drones are a great investment.
Less labor and lower labor costs. You're likely all too familiar with how labor-intensive and time-consuming crop-spraying can be. If you spray your crops yourself, you probably realize that the time it takes you to do so could be better spent doing something else. On the other hand, if you hire people to spray your crops, all of those man-hours end up costing you a lot of money.
Consider how much it costs you to have your crops sprayed the conventional way. Then do the math to figure out how soon an agriculture drone would start saving you money if you could use it to spray your crops instead of hiring someone else to do it. You'd be surprised just how quickly a drone can pay for itself, even the more pricey agriculture drones. Once you break even on the drone, think about how much money you can save going forward if the only thing you have to pay for is pesticide each time you spray.
Larger, healthier crop yields. As a farmer, the size and health of your crop yields determine how much money you make every season. Drones give you a notable advantage in monitoring the health of your crops and keeping them healthy. Think about the money you've lost over the years due to irrigation and pest problems that you weren't able to detect until it was too late. If you invest in a couple of drones, you'll have the means to identify and fix these problems before they cost you a lot of money. In this way, a good plant health mapping drone can pay for itself in just one season.
In sum, as a farmer, investing in agriculture drones is a great idea. The initial cost is intimidating, but just think of them as any other farming equipment whose purpose is to help you save money, work more efficiently, and increase your profit.
If you're still hesitant to invest in drones, please consider taking a chance and at least investing in one that'll allow you to monitor the health of your crops. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro or Autel Robotics Evo (or something similar) will serve you very well in this capacity. The data that these smaller drones can collect will absolutely enhance your farming operations.
Starting an Agriculture Drone Business
While drones are a great investment for farmers, the fact of the matter is that many farmers will be unable or unwilling to use them. Some simply won't feel comfortable or confident operating that kind of equipment. Others will simply not see the value that these incredible machines can add to their work. This leaves a sizeable opening for commercial drone pilots to enter the industry.
Drone crop spraying and plant health monitoring are viable services for a drone business. If you currently have a drone business or are interested in starting one, agriculture is a lucrative industry to consider servicing.
If you don't already have a drone business, check out the guide we made on how to become a freelance drone pilot. This guide will take you through all the steps to officially start a drone business.
Consider Your Area
In order to be able to work in the agriculture industry, you need to live in a region that supports farming. You don't have to live right next to farmland, but if you want to work in this industry, it's important to live relatively close to your clients. This is especially true for plant health monitoring, as this is a fairly regular service. Clients that hire you for this service will likely want regularly updated maps.
Working with drones in agriculture is much different than working in industries like real estate and construction. The client base is much more narrow, and the location is really important. If you're serious about pursuing work in this field, you might consider relocating to a region with more farming. It's a big step, but it's sure to pay off.
Identify Your Services and Pricing
As we've discussed, the main drone services in agriculture are crop management via mapping and general drone imagery and crop spraying. Before you start reaching out to prospective clients, it's important to identify which services you'd like to provide. Know exactly what you can provide to clients along with how those services can benefit them. If you know this, you can approach them confidently.
Something else to consider is what you'll charge for your services. When coming up with your rates, keep in mind that you want to give clients a financial reason to use your services. In other words, if you're offering crop spraying, you should aim to charge your clients less than they would pay a ground team to spray pesticide the conventional way. Figure out how much farmers pay for normal crop spraying. Then, structure your pricing in such a way that the farmer is incentivized to abandon the traditional method of crop spraying and use your services. Don't undervalue your own service, but don't give clients a reason to say no.
Get the Equipment
In order to service clients in the agriculture industry, the first thing you need to do is get the right equipment. We've talked in-depth about the equipment you'll need to work in agriculture, so we won't repeat it here. You'll want to consider which services you want to offer and get then get the necessary equipment.
Get Clients
The most challenging part of any drone business is getting clients. Drone technology is still fairly new. Since it hasn't become normalized, many people are skeptical about the prospect of integrating drones into their business.
The main thing to consider when identifying your target client base is the size of their operation and the value of the crops they grow. A single farmer that has a few acres of corn (which isn't a high dollar crop) likely won't be willing to consider using your services. Farmers with smaller operations likely won't see the benefit in drone services or they won't want to spend money on drone services.
On the other hand, farmers that have larger operations growing more lucrative crops will be more willing to use your services. As agriculture operations get bigger, it gets more difficult to manage and tend to crops. For this reason, farmers with larger operations are great targets for your drone services. This is especially true for farms that are growing high dollar crops. Do some research on the crops grown in your area of interest and pursue the farmers with more lucrative operations.
Making Your Pitch
Once you've identified your target clients, the next step is formulating a pitch that'll convince them to use your services. Your pitch is crucial.
Creating a pitch for your services is always challenging. The goal is to thoroughly but concisely articulate your services without coming across as a desperate salesperson. Hopefully, your pitch will pique the client's interest enough for them to follow up asking for more information.
A good pitch should outline your services and emphasize how the client will tangibly benefit from integrating drones into their operations.
We've created an example of a pitch for agriculture drone services:
“Hi there, my name is (name), and I'm with (company name), a drone services business that provides innovative drone solutions in the agriculture industry. One of the services we offer is plant health monitoring. We use a drone to take hundreds of photos of farmland, and those photos are then stitched together with advanced software. The end result is a high-resolution map of the area. We can then use an overlay that shows the health of the plants in the area. This is useful because it can reveal problems like pest damage and irrigation deficiencies early on. In a nutshell, this service gives farmers a strategic view of their crops that can help them make more informed decisions.
Another service we offer is pesticide spraying via drone. We use an advanced agriculture drone to efficiently apply a consistent amount of pesticide to crops. Using a drone is both cheaper, faster, and more thorough than conventional methods of pesticide spraying.
We'd love to talk with you further about how our drone services can make your operations cheaper and more efficient. Thanks so much for your time, and we look forward to hearing from you.”
That's it. This is a simple but thorough pitch that adequately informs the prospective client about the services without sounding too overwhelming.
Lastly, don't take it personally when you don't hear back from people. As we said, many prospective clients simply won't understand the value of your services. The best thing to do is to remind yourself of the value of your services and carry on. Then, continue to cast a wide net and keep reaching out to prospective clients.
Final Thoughts
The agriculture industry is ripe for drones. Agriculture as a whole is being transformed as these intelligent machines simplify crop management.
Drones have a promising future in all kinds of industries, but their place in agriculture will grow immensely over the next few years. Using drones in agriculture is not only good for farmers and drone pilots, it's good for everyone; the world as a whole benefits from more efficient agricultural practices. It's the perfect time to invest in agriculture drones for your farm or start a drone business servicing farmers.
