Drones have become a mainstay now on many farms, “mostly to help scout, take some fun pictures and videos, and things like that,” says Randy Aberle with FlyingAg.com. And while drones still do those things, they can now do so much more.
At the Indiana Farm Equipment & Technology Expo this week, Aberle had the new DJI T40 sprayer drone on display. The size of the drone with its 18-inch-long propellers provided a wow factor for attendees.
“We can get better penetration with fungicides, and that’s probably the biggest application is fungicide, namely on corn, especially with tar spot the last couple of years… if it’s wet, we can’t get a Hagie or a highboy through the field. Now something has to be done from the air,” says Aberle.
With fungicide applications becoming more commonplace for growers, aerial applicators have been difficult to come by in a timely manner the past couple of years. That’s why Aberle says growers are taking a serious look at spray drones.
“When corn went from $4 to $7, there’s a lot more value out in the field that we’re trying to protect. And so, yeah, a lot of the aerial application services have gotten to the point where they’re a week, two weeks out if you weren’t scheduled ahead. So, having the ability to go in and do it yourself is starting to really resonate with guys.”
Aberle says this drone is for all corn growers, regardless of the size of your farm.
“Yeah, this drone, for example, is about $28,000…And so maybe you’re a small grower that on a per acre basis, that’s a lot of money per acre. But maybe it makes sense to go in with your neighbor or a couple of neighbors and put a system together to do that.”
You can get more information at FlyingAg.com.