AeroInfo Insights...
The Buzz from Above
Volume I, Issue I
Welcome to the inaugural edition of AeroInfo Insights. Each month we will share with you how drones can provide real-time, actionable data and information that will positively impact your operation or business. Yes, drones are “cool” technology, but they are simply a tool. Their value is in the information they provide to help you control inputs and increase yield. At AeroInfo, our goal is to take you "from hope to know.”
You are receiving this newsletter because we connected with you in the field, at a trade show or through social media. If you don't wish to receive our newsletter, simply use the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of the page. (But you won't want to miss our issue on crop damage analysis coming later this spring...)
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See What Comes Up
Planting will be underway soon in the warmer parts of Texas. Post emergence is a great time for a drone stand count. Whether you’re planting cotton, corn or beans, a drone stand count provides you with plants per acre data for your entire field. No more taking a few manual samples and hoping they are representative of the entire field.
In fact, recent research by the University of Tennessee found that drone stand counts completed with multispectral and visual cameras proved to have greater than 93% and 85% accuracy, respectively. The study concluded that technology such as drones has “the potential to help farmers overcome monitoring challenges, improve response time and increase profitability.”
AeroInfo can take you from hope to know with a whole-field view. We have both multispectral and visual cameras to collect data on your field. We'll use the best option for your crop and growth stage, so you will get the most accurate analysis available.
The image above is an example of a stand count analysis on corn using a Slantrange multispectral sensor. Note the significant areas of red where stand counts are about 4000 plants (13%) less than the rest of the field.
To get an accurate count, our drone needs to see individual plants. Aerial surveying must take place right after plant emergence, so we have a fairly narrow flight window. If you are interested in a stand count, contact us now at forrest@flyaeroinfo.com to get on the schedule so you are guaranteed a flight when the time is optimal.
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Let AeroInfo Take You from "Hope to Know"
Ag Services
- Stand Counts
- Crop Damage Analysis
- Plant Stress Analysis/Biomass/Yield Trends
- Field Topography
- Drone-to-Tractor Variable Rate Prescriptions
Ranching Services
- Land Mapping
- Livestock Monitoring
Heritage Videos
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Texas A&M AgriLife Knows Drones
In January I had the opportunity to visit the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi and sit down with Dr. Murilo Maeda and Dr. Megan Clayton to discuss drone use in agriculture and ranching. The Research and Extension Center is at the forefront of cutting-edge agricultural research into the use of drones to help growers improve crop quality and yields while reducing production costs.
Dr. Maeda is an assistant research scientist, conducting research on the use of drone data for determining plant size and germination rate, temperature monitoring, and forecasting crop growth and yield. He is taking the use of drones and drone data in crop development to the next level. His research demonstrates that drones can and will have even greater potential in agriculture, especially with the row crops we grow in Texas.
Dr. Maeda is responsible for managing the development of cropping systems and remote sensing programs for agricultural research and crop precision management applications. Learn more about Dr. Maeda's research here.
To date, most drone manufacturers and service providers have focused on the farming side of agriculture. AeroInfo and researchers like Dr. Clayton, an associate professor and extension range specialist, are leading the charge to leverage the power of drones and drone data in range, pasture and ranch management. Drones provide real-time, whole-pasture, aerial insights never before available at economical rates. They offer producers the opportunity to manage resources more accurately and produce more pounds per acre.
The focus of Dr. Clayton’s research is on the use of drones and drone imagery as they relate to brush management, animal counts, forage measurements (including mass and nutritive value), herding and locating missing animals. Some of her most exciting research is around drone capability to recognize brush species and location and determine coverage. With this information available, ranchers and land managers will be able to determine brush treatment options and adjust stocking rates. Check out Dr. Clayton's work here. I also recommend her webinar, “Drones on Rangeland – The Basics.”
As a rancher and cattle producer, I was very interested in where their research is headed, especially in forage management and brush identification and control. I was also able to share with her the various ways we are using drones on our ranch. In addition to identifying and quantifying hog damage on range and pastureland, we have used drones to survey flood damage and locate a missing bull, a $4,000 asset.
It was an honor to meet with Dr. Maeda and Dr. Clayton, true leaders in the field of drones in agriculture. It is exciting to see where this technology is headed and to know what a positive impact it will have on farmers and ranchers.
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