The future of farming is not on land, but in the sky. Farmers face blight, drought, contamination and other agricultural challenges all year round. Now, advanced UAS technology is taking traditional farming methods to new heights and revolutionizing the agriculture industry to increase productivity.
Traditional, labor-intensive methods of surveying inch by inch of land by foot or tractor is time-consuming and inefficient. UASs have real-time imaging that scans and collects crop data to discover and monitor possible damage and find solutions before it becomes irreversible. The FlightWave Edge™ UAS has high-resolution mapping capabilities that allows it to cover more area — making it easy to survey acres of farmland.
UASs allow farmers to evaluate crop height and density, soil composition, and provide detailed overall health assessments of their fields. New and advanced UASs have multispectral image sensors that provide invaluable information for a variety of agronomic applications. They can measure leaf reflectance and emittance to create vegetative indices that help farmers better understand the health and needs of their crops.
With the Edge, farmers can become both eco-friendly and budget-friendly. High-tech sensors can detect infrared wavelengths to create maps revealing nutrient deficiencies in plants. Farmers also can use these maps to identify plants that need more fertilizer — and since fertilizer can cost up to $500 per acre, it’s beneficial to minimize use while maximizing crop yields.
Thermal cameras can be used to detect dry or wet regions of land. Using this data, farmers can make sustainable decisions about which crops need more or less water. Farmers who use UASs are reaping the benefits of using less water and less fertilizer and quickly realizing that investing in a UAS can help save money in the long run. Because of the high-tech capabilities of UASs, farming is more productive, crops are healthier, and sustainability rates are skyrocketing.