Unmanned aircraft systems, more commonly referred to as drones, first made headlines in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Within our borders, drones are also being used by the federal government to monitor our nation's borders for illegal immigrants and, surely, other classified uses.
Like all technologies, drones have improved over time, and as more manufacturers enter the marketplace, retail prices have fallen. As a result, more individuals and companies now have access to drones. However, just who can operate a drone remains quite murky.
Following the letter of the law, drones can only be operated by hobbyists for recreational uses. However, that hasn't stopped a host of people from using them for more than "hobby" purposes. The law will remain cloudy until at least next year when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must comply with a Congressional mandate to develop regulations to operate drones on a commercial basis.
Valuable uses of drones: As a farmer, I can think of a number of beneficial uses for drones and some of them are already being integrated into daily routines despite FAA restrictions. Scouting fields comes to mind. Depending on the drone's equipment, germination rates, crop height, insect damage and weed pressure can all be monitored from the safety of an unmanned drone. Likewise, ranchers can glean a visual on the health of cattle in feedlots. According to The Wall Street Journal, drones are already applying pesticides and fertilizers on 40 percent of the rice fields in Japan.
Questionable uses of drones: Of course, with any technology, there are uses that may raise an eyebrow or even bring heat from legal authorities. Should others be able to use drones and infrared technology to monitor inventories on your farm or another business? Is it ethical to use drones in hunting? How about drones in the hands of activists? What about government rule enforcement agencies checking up on nutrient plans or practices on your farm?
While the rules on drones will be debated for some time, other countries are setting the pace on using drones in farming systems. As a result, the U.S. will be playing some catch up once the slow moving FAA creates formalized rules on using drones on a commercial basis.
My prediction long-term - Like groundbreaking technologies before it, drones will one day become as common as tractors on our farm. There are a host of applications that drones can do to help us better operate our farms, and when that's the case, American farmers have been early adopters.
