In today’s agriculture, technology is used wherever and
whenever possible. Recently, within the past couple years the use of drones in
agriculture has become a very hot topic. The potential benefit of the use of drones
is sky high. Using drones opens a whole new world of opportunity for technology
in the agricultural field. However drones still aren't widely accepted in the
United States and with their private use expanding to a larger scale comes a
lot of controversy.
The main benefit of using drones in agriculture is their
ability to inexpensively tell a farmer how their field is functioning at
virtually any time of the day, given the weather permits flight. Drones have
the capability to help farmers advance to a new level of crop management. In an
afternoon a farmer could use a drone to fly over his fields and tell him what
he needs to know in order to grow his crops to their potential. The drone would
send real time images with true color, infrared, and thermal imaging. These
images could then be used to spot potential pest outbreaks, weed outbreaks,
areas that need water, and so much more. Once the data from the drone
determines a pest infestation for example, the farmer can then act and treat
the specific area. This would save the farmer money and time by minimizing the
infestation and minimizing the area sprayed. An article by 9 News in Colorado
claimed a farmer could save $20 dollars an acre by using drones.
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With the expansion of such technology, problems will follow.
Along with all the benefits comes the threat of privacy infractions. Farmers
worry about others looking at their fields and other parts of their property.
Others also worry about using drones for spying on people and the ease of
access that would come with such a market.
The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to make official
laws for drones. There will be restrictions on drone flight in order to contain
the usage. Drone operators will be required to fly under a certain height above
the ground and the drone would have to stay within the sight of the operator. Certain
areas such as airports would also be off limits in order to avoid mid-air
incidents with manned aircraft. Among other details, operators would be
required to pass a written test to become certified. The test would have to be
renewed every two years or so, similar to other certifications in the
agricultural field already in place.
As restrictions are lifted, people will begin to warm up to
the idea of using drones in a commercial sense with all the possibilities they
bring. Currently companies can use drones for mainly research with the proper
permit from the FAA. Most states do not currently have restrictions on drones,
but as the idea of drone usage becomes more and more popular many states have
passed restrictions on how they can be used and what they can be used for. The
FAA is still working on legislation defining drones and the federal
restrictions that will be implemented.
Works Cited:
9 News
National Conference of State Legislatures
As you stated, drones have the potential to have a great impact. The use of drones could also be beneficial to many other industries because in a sense they are an extension of the users own eyes that, for now, can go almost anywhere. The equipment that can be mounted on a drone is also very versatile for the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, the versatility and stealth of drones has people worried. As you elaborated on, there are not many laws right now governing their use. I am afraid that drones are becoming popular faster than organizations like the Federal Aviation Administration can regulate them. This is cause for concern for two reasons. First, due to inexperienced people controlling them and thereby potentially endangering the public. Second, because if someone wanted to operate one with ill intent, it would be very simple. With the implementation of classes and regulations that you discussed some of this anxiety would be relieved, but I do not know how an organization could prevent all of the issues right away. Even if the Federal Aviation Administration does get the regulation of the drones perfect, there also is the issue of enforcing these regulations.
Overall, I believe drones are a very useful and versatile technological advancement. There are many more advantages than disadvantages to using them. The way things are going, it appears drones will be a day-to-day sight. Unfortunately, rules, regulations, and enforcement just has to catch on as fast as the use of them did.
This seems like a great tool to the agriculture industry! Being able to monitor “potential pest outbreaks, weed outbreaks, [and] areas that need water,” as you said with such ease would certainly make crop management much easier on farmers. I imagine that as drones become more commonplace, they could take on an even greater role in agriculture, aiding in things like the application and management of pesticides, which I’m sure would save a lot of money in the industry. It is disappointing that, as you said, “drones still aren’t widely accepted in the United States,” and I hope that this changes in the near future. We need to support such advancements, especially since agriculture is such an important industry to the economy and the continuation of the human race. I would think that any technology that could aid pest and weed management in such a big way would be at the forefront of issues for our government, but apparently that is not the case. Hopefully this can gain attention very soon, and the necessary laws can be put in place to facilitate the use of drones on a large scale. I also hope that we, as engineers, can make the design of drones more efficient and effective, so that drones in the future can accomplish more, and cost less, so that the entire industry can benefit from the use of drones.
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