{"id":6460,"date":"2016-06-28T11:10:09","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T15:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/?p=6460"},"modified":"2025-06-11T12:24:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T16:24:26","slug":"a-reality-check-on-the-drones-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2016\/06\/28\/a-reality-check-on-the-drones-boom\/","title":{"rendered":"A reality check on the drones boom"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_6468\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6468\" style=\"width: 362px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-6468\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-cultivated-field-Flickr-user-ackab1.jpg\" alt=\"A drone flies over a farm field. Photo credit: Flickr user ackab1\" width=\"362\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-cultivated-field-Flickr-user-ackab1.jpg 1908w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-cultivated-field-Flickr-user-ackab1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-cultivated-field-Flickr-user-ackab1-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-cultivated-field-Flickr-user-ackab1-1024x575.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 362px) 100vw, 362px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6468\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A drone flies over a farm field with an on-board camera. Photo credit: Flickr user <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/57826643@N08\/15712761628\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ackab1<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released much anticipated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/blog\/2016\/06\/21\/growing-economy-through-innovation-new-rules-commercial-and-scientific-use-drones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rules on commercial small drone use<\/a>. In a nutshell:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The rules loosen restrictions on commercial drone use, and later this summer the FAA will start legally allowing permits for drones weighing less than 55 pounds.<\/li>\n<li>The rules are a boon to producers and ranchers interested in precision farming practices, thanks to drones\u2019 advanced imaging technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Industry groups estimate that precision agriculture has the potential to account for almost <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/05\/16\/us\/drone-flying-farmers-once-breaking-the-law-may-soon-gain-clearance.html?_r=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">80 percent<\/a> of civilian drone use by 2020. Already, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.croplife.com\/equipment\/precision-ag\/2015-precision-agriculture-dealer-survey-top-four-trends-to-watch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">16 percent<\/a> of agricultural retailers are selling drones \u2013 a figure set to skyrocket in the coming years.<\/p>\n<p>So this is big news for the ag industry \u2013 but will it help the environment, too?<\/p>\n<p>Not necessarily. Drones provide lots of data, and nothing more. They don\u2019t actually change anything on the ground or benefit the environment directly. It\u2019s up to growers and their advisors to use the information collected by drones to make informed decisions that can benefit profitability and the planet. Here\u2019s why drones are just one (important) piece of the puzzle.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Environmental data requires action<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6465\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6465\" style=\"width: 262px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-6465\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-Quadricopter-Flickr-User-Carlos-Honda.jpg\" alt=\"A quadricopter drone with an on-board camera. Photo credit: Flickr user Carlos Honda\" width=\"262\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-Quadricopter-Flickr-User-Carlos-Honda.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-Quadricopter-Flickr-User-Carlos-Honda-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-Quadricopter-Flickr-User-Carlos-Honda-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/06\/Drone-Quadricopter-Flickr-User-Carlos-Honda-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 262px) 100vw, 262px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6465\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Flickr user <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/55852457@N07\/19761427006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carlos Honda<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The data that drones collect can <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2015\/10\/05\/ags-big-data-explosion-can-benefit-the-environment-too\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">support stewardship efforts<\/a> on the farm, but only if that information is turned into concrete action. For example, drones can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Spot problems on fields in record time. With different sensors like near-infrared, producers can pinpoint distressed plants. But to help these plants, producers need to understand what is causing the stress, such as pests or lack of irrigation.<\/li>\n<li>Scout more of the field and collect data to better manage their yield.\u00a0This could allow for more precise targeting of fertilizer rather than a broadcast application, if producers analyze the data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ultimately, drones are like an MRI.\u00a0Much like an MRI gives a doctor detailed information about a patient\u2019s condition, drones can give producers extremely precise data about crop health. But to actually address an illness, improve crop health or reduce environmental impacts, the information needs to be interpreted and fed into a more comprehensive solution.\u00a0An MRI doesn\u2019t give you the answer, it gives you the information needed to make health decisions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Drones give data in pieces \u2013 but not the big picture<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-5543 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2015\/10\/21842202345_e287f71cc9_b-300x155.jpg\" alt=\"21842202345_e287f71cc9_b\" width=\"300\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2015\/10\/21842202345_e287f71cc9_b-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2015\/10\/21842202345_e287f71cc9_b.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>One of the challenges with drones is the analysis and processing needed to make their information useful.<\/p>\n<p>Every pass of a drone collects a series of images of the field, just like a yield monitor does. However, the software on most tractors is designed to piece together data from each pass to give the producer a complete view of the field. That isn\u2019t yet the case with drones.<\/p>\n<p>The drone operator currently needs to piece together that data themselves. It can take an agronomist several hours to piece all those images together to give a complete image of the field. This will change in the future, but right now it slows down the usefulness of this data.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We need years of data, not two seasons<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m a true data and technology nerd, and I\u2019m beyond excited by the proliferation of drones and their potential to transform agriculture. However, the FAA only started offering exemptions for their use in agriculture in January of 2015. Of the 5,361 petitions granted for all drone uses across the United States through mid-June, only 847 had the word \u201cagriculture\u201d as part of their operation. We\u2019re just now in the second season of widespread drone use, and there\u2019s still a lot to learn about the implications for agriculture.<\/p>\n<p>Drones are a new and exciting tool in the sustainable agriculture toolbox, but it\u2019s too early to tell how big of a role they\u2019ll ultimately play. When their use does take off (pun intended) they will be one piece of a comprehensive approach to farm stewardship.<\/p>\n<p><em>Related:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2015\/11\/10\/who-will-protect-farmers-privacy-in-the-big-data-boom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Who will protect farmers\u2019 privacy in the big data boom? &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2015\/10\/05\/ags-big-data-explosion-can-benefit-the-environment-too\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ag\u2019s big data explosion can benefit the environment too &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2015\/06\/19\/sustain-navigating-the-boom-in-precision-ag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SUSTAIN: navigating the boom in precision ag &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released much anticipated rules on commercial small drone use. In a nutshell: The rules loosen restrictions on commercial drone use, and later this summer the FAA will start legally allowing permits for drones weighing less than 55 pounds. The rules are a boon to producers and ranchers interested &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12145,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120554],"tags":[84907,84909,84908,78571,84905,84906,56,84912,84839,84911,84910,75661,75,383,42756,75662,84914,67798,84915,84913,71786,71897,47304,84752],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-6460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","tag-ag-retailers","tag-ag-tech","tag-agricultural-retailers","tag-agronomist","tag-civilian-drone-use","tag-commercial-drone-use","tag-conservation","tag-crop-health","tag-crop-management","tag-data-analysis","tag-data-visualization","tag-drones","tag-environment","tag-environmental-defense-fund","tag-farmers","tag-federal-aviation-administration","tag-imaging-technology","tag-irrigation","tag-permits","tag-pest-management","tag-precision-agriculture","tag-producers","tag-ranchers","tag-stewardship"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12145"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15722,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460\/revisions\/15722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6460"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}