Drone technology and capabilities appear to be coming along in leaps and bounds; prices are falling; the likes of dronedeploy and precisionhawk are offering a broader range of sensing tools for agriculture, and I see that a number of members appear to drone owners. Is anyone using them for regularly for NDVI surveys, use them for farming purposes - any thoughts/words of advice?
Drones - dji/dronedeploy/ndvi etc
- Thread starter dominat
- Start date
My thoughts are that a drone is a massively time consuming and labour intensive way to get data that can be had twice daily from a satellite at very low cost now
Drones great for funky combine videos and also maybe a useful aid to targeting crop walking or scaring pigeons
if we could actually legally use them for jobs like spot spraying et they would have a useful / cost effective place but I believe legislation currently prevents in the UK ?
Quite fancy getting one, for the benefit of the taxman it will clearly be an essential bit of farming equipment but in reality I just fancy playing at being a pilot
Drones great for funky combine videos and also maybe a useful aid to targeting crop walking or scaring pigeons
if we could actually legally use them for jobs like spot spraying et they would have a useful / cost effective place but I believe legislation currently prevents in the UK ?
Quite fancy getting one, for the benefit of the taxman it will clearly be an essential bit of farming equipment but in reality I just fancy playing at being a pilot
Donkey Oaty
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
I would be keen on getting one in to map my drains at the moment! This dry year is offering an opportunity that we might not get for a long time again.
Adam@Rumen
Member
- Location
- Nantwich/Rishton
Anyone know anything about the DJI Mavic?
Some of the rushes in some of our fields are so bad I could see one being very beneficial for gathering and finding hiding sheep - even better if you could herd with one!
Some of the rushes in some of our fields are so bad I could see one being very beneficial for gathering and finding hiding sheep - even better if you could herd with one!
- Location
- Cirencester
Have an old DJI Phantom, takes some stunning pictures and videos, also very good for wearing out the Parsons Terrier, am sure he will catch it one day!!!
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
Father and son team. Furthest is the father pilot. Nearest is the camera operator. Note the proper controls, monitors and ariels. This one has a four mile range I think they said.
This is the little beauty. It's actually quite big. They had a Spark in the van as well as a couple of bigger drones. Note the rather large camera mounted on the fully remote controlled gimble .
Just had a Mavic Pro Flymore with pilot and videographer on my place. They left half an hour ago. You wouldn't believe the variety of drones, cameras, gambles and lenses they had in their van. They were licensed commercial operators.
I know nothing much about them, as my wife won't let me have one.
Grassman
Member
- Location
- Derbyshire
Doesn't she realise you need one for farm work
towbar
Member
- Location
- Louth, Ireland
Have a mavic very simple to operate and very reliable. Haven't found a compelling farm use yet but have taken aerial photos of fields at different stages of growth to try and find patterns
Roger Perry
Member
The Yamaha has a 390cc engine and a 6.3 gallon capacity spray tank, looks somewhat like a regular helicopter, used in Japan to spot spray rice, just licensed in California for vineyard application.
Yamaha is working on a larger model R with 8 gallon capacity, starting to become a useful tool.
Yamaha is working on a larger model R with 8 gallon capacity, starting to become a useful tool.
I think current uk legislation prevents drones from spraying ?
Can you film a combine working please ? None of us have any idea what they look like from above ;-)
- Location
- Near Colchester
It saved a long walk this morning to see if this group had run out of fodder.
and to count 5 other lots, like these, all within 10 minutes.
You can zoom right in and get a good count when you down load the picture.
Looking for drains last week - rented land, no maps.
I use it to herd (or is it flock?) sheep, scare pigeons and geese.
Even my super-sceptical wife thinks that it is a good idea - which is saying something.
Phantom 4.
and to count 5 other lots, like these, all within 10 minutes.
You can zoom right in and get a good count when you down load the picture.
Looking for drains last week - rented land, no maps.
I use it to herd (or is it flock?) sheep, scare pigeons and geese.
Even my super-sceptical wife thinks that it is a good idea - which is saying something.
Phantom 4.
___\0/___
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
Mavic pro here head count of all the young cattle done on farm first thing this morning in no time at all, just use it as an extra Check. Amazing how quickly they have got used to it.
ZXR17
Member
- Location
- South Dorset
I have a Phantom 3 which has been brilliant for mapping drains. We were digging to find a drain last year without success so went back and looked at the aerial photos. The photos showed we were about 3 metres out so went back out and dug straight down onto it.
- Location
- Near Colchester
I rarely go as low as I did in the top picture but you will notice that none of them are doing anything but look at it.
To move the sheep I have to be at head height.
towbar
Member
- Location
- Louth, Ireland
Sure couldn't you stick it in auto pilot and lie out on the roof!
Heres one from my first drone - not great but get the idea
This is a more recent one with the Mavic.... while I was spraying - that's how easy it is to fly!
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
Nothing I have said or done so far has worked. Mapping of old drains in this dry weather was the latest persuasive argument. Not persuasive enough as it turns out.Doesn't she realise you need one for farm work
She wasn't here to see it scout the cows back to milk this afternoon, to see how really useful and fuel saving it was compared to the pickup, or how the dogs worked with it in perfect harmony. Not interested!
Actually I'm sure, from the way the dogs reacted, that they would soon learn to work with a drone. The cows were generally fascinated as well.
Unfortunately so was half the village, with texts landing left right and centre, basically asking "what's with the drone?" What I'd like to know is, what made so many assume [correctly] that the drone had anything to do with me?
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
I'm wondering whether I could send it four miles across the bay to the other farm, which is seven miles by road, to check on the cattle and security there? There is line of sight, although it might take a bit of embellishment to claim that the drone was actually visible at that distance apart from through its cameras and a powerful set of binoculars from home.
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
Great, lots of valid and persuasive arguments for farm drone use in the posts above. Keep them coming and eventually I might be able to persuade 'She Who Must Be Obeyed' SWMBO.