Drones for stock checking

[Pan mixer]

The press is full of the idea that drones are going to make arable farming better.

I wonder if a drone might be a useful thing to check a field of store cattle who are a bit away from the main farm - not every day of course but now and again.

Anyone else had this thought? or does it strike every good stock farmer as lazy and not up to the job?

 

[GTB]

I wouldn't mind a secondhand helicopter some days.

 

[Tim W]

http://www2.thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/fpv-sheep-herding-with-a-mini-quadcopter.35333/

 

[Gilchro]

New Zealand is miles ahead

http://www.beeflambnz.com/PageFiles/18386/Technology - seeing the future.pdf

Unfortunately

 

[Pan mixer]

I wouldn't mind a secondhand helicopter some days.

Why not a shiny new one?

 

[Pan mixer]

http://www2.thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/fpv-sheep-herding-with-a-mini-quadcopter.35333/

I missed that. Thanks

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Some 30 years ago the government used to invite a number of scientists and practical people to have brain storming sessions where you were literally locked in a room for a number of hours and asked to come up with ideas for the future.

I remember suggesting that putting a sensor on each sheep or cattle would mean that I would just be able to switch the TV on (pre smart phone and almost pre computer!) and check on all the stock to see if they are alive and the right way up!

It looks as if that has now arrived.
I wonder if the Farm Assurance inspector will be happy with you saying you inspected all the stock by Drone!

My idea was that it could be done by satellite, therefore the cost saving on a stockmans time and the reduced amount of vehicle running costs would be huge on an extensive farm. The tags need temperature and motion sensors and all would be fine if they did not lose the Tags.

 

[Ashtree]

The press is full of the idea that drones are going to make arable farming better.

I wonder if a drone might be a useful thing to check a field of store cattle who are a bit away from the main farm - not every day of course but now and again.

Anyone else had this thought? or does it strike every good stock farmer as lazy and not up to the job?

Cattle have become wild and dangerous enough as it is, with folks not herding properly. Checking stock from the main road us order of the day with people. Then they can't understand why stock go mental when the whole family turns up, to bring them in for a herd test.
Can you imagine how wild a herd of limmy bullocks would become, who see nothing but wildlife and a silly plastic bird hovering over twice a day.

 

[wee man]

There are a few legal issues to be considered. 1 i don't think you are allowed to let them out of your sight so no good for looking the off lying farm. 2 If you are flying anything for financial gain then you need a pilots licence.
3 If you have a camera on board you have to think of privacy issues, Honest governor i was looking at the sick bullock in the field not the topless sunbather. 4 There are rules about how close you can be to people and built up areas.

 

[M-J-G]

By the time you sit in the house and check them you might as well just go and do it. I dont know about anyone else but as I get older the weight is getting harder to keep off!

From the other side, if a privately owned drone went over my house or fields I'd gun it down!

 

[Blaithin]

Technology that is used in large set up's can be mind boggling at times. Lots of research uses things based on an animals RFID tag and can track how often they're eating, how long they're eating for, how often they're drinking, etc. Right now I know of a trial where they're tracking the temperature around waterers. Not really sure on the reason.... But they're testing it! In my mind it would even be feasible to use RFID's or something similar to check an animals temperature without running them in and through a chute but that may be easier said than done. I've seen some abysmal failures at things that you're supposed to be able to point at the animal and get a temperature with.

I posted an article a while back here I believe, about tracking animals grooming behaviours. They concluded that animals visited the grooming station less when they were ill. The tracking above would also tell you when they're off feed or water and sometimes even if they aren't moving much within the pen. Still, none of this can compensate for a knowledgeable person laying their own eyes on an animal. I personally hate trying to help people diagnose a bovine via a photo they`ve taken. That is NOT as easy as you would think so looking through a little drone camera probably wouldn`t be that effective. You`d either miss something obvious (or not so obvious!) or end up running out there twice a day because you own the least photogenic animals on the planet and they all look like death through a video!

As a side note, the number of times I`ve treated an animal for looking off, had it not respond to the drugs and then linger forever and you just know it`s going to die anyway THEN sent in a post mortem after it finally kicks the bucket only to have the Vet`s diagnoses come back as No Visible Lesions (aka, they have no clue why it died, everything looks fine!) You can see things coming way in advance that photos and technology just can`t explain even after the animal`s proved them wrong by dying.

 

[Ashtree]

Technology that is used in large set up's can be mind boggling at times. Lots of research uses things based on an animals RFID tag and can track how often they're eating, how long they're eating for, how often they're drinking, etc. Right now I know of a trial where they're tracking the temperature around waterers. Not really sure on the reason.... But they're testing it! In my mind it would even be feasible to use RFID's or something similar to check an animals temperature without running them in and through a chute but that may be easier said than done. I've seen some abysmal failures at things that you're supposed to be able to point at the animal and get a temperature with.

I posted an article a while back here I believe, about tracking animals grooming behaviours. They concluded that animals visited the grooming station less when they were ill. The tracking above would also tell you when they're off feed or water and sometimes even if they aren't moving much within the pen. Still, none of this can compensate for a knowledgeable person laying their own eyes on an animal. I personally hate trying to help people diagnose a bovine via a photo they`ve taken. That is NOT as easy as you would think so looking through a little drone camera probably wouldn`t be that effective. You`d either miss something obvious (or not so obvious!) or end up running out there twice a day because you own the least photogenic animals on the planet and they all look like death through a video!

As a side note, the number of times I`ve treated an animal for looking off, had it not respond to the drugs and then linger forever and you just know it`s going to die anyway THEN sent in a post mortem after it finally kicks the bucket only to have the Vet`s diagnoses come back as No Visible Lesions (aka, they have no clue why it died, everything looks fine!) You can see things coming way in advance that photos and technology just can`t explain even after the animal`s proved them wrong by dying.

In short. If you have stock and can't see them daily in person or somebody else in person on your behalf, then you shouldn't have stock.

 

[le bon paysan]

The press is full of the idea that drones are going to make arable farming better.

I wonder if a drone might be a useful thing to check a field of store cattle who are a bit away from the main farm - not every day of course but now and again.

Anyone else had this thought? or does it strike every good stock farmer as lazy and not up to the job?

Will it tell if summats broke its leg?

 

[GTB]

In short. If you have stock and can't see them daily in person or somebody else in person on your behalf, then you shouldn't have stock.

I wish I could get around to seeing all my stock everyday but I'm afraid it's physically impossible. We do aim though to see all ewes at least once a day during lambing and all cows too at calving. Otherwise it's every other day or twice a week.

 

[Philip Watkins]

The limitation (of licensing) of having to keep visual contact with the drone means you would have to travel to out lying ground anyway, then by the time you unpack and release the drone you could be half way round them.
I can see the benefit for hill farmers where the terrain is difficult to get over and blind spots due to valleys and rough scrub. For lowland, mainly level ground I don't see much advantage, you still need the time to fly and view.