Drones In Agriculture

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which contributed to the success of the cotton farmer. The cotton gin expedited the process of cleaning cotton at a rate of up to fifty pounds a day versus having to handpick and clean the cotton which took hours. Cotton was a major cash crop of the time, and being able to clean and pack it faster led to increased production. This innovation is one of the first agricultural advancements in technology recorded in America. Other advancements include: Jethro Wood who came up with the idea of an iron plow with interchangeable parts in 1891, something still used to this very day and the spindle cotton picker, which was produced commercially in 1942. These inventions and their dates have historical significance

to the future of agriculture because they remind us of how far we have come in agriculture and what we could look forward to accomplishing in the future.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a drone! The idea of drones being able to help out the everyday agriculturist was only an imaginative dream but coming into the 21st century we are seeing this dream come into reality. Test drones and models are becoming more popular in many countries, especially in the United States where we are the top producers in Agricultural products and spend tons of US dollars in the field of Agriculture. It’s stated by the Texas Department of Agriculture that the state of Texas itself leads the nation in the number of farms and ranches in the nation with a total of 248,800 farms and ranches covering 130.2 million acres.

The drone is becoming one of the most advanced robotics system in the world of aeronautics. Aeronautics are becoming so advanced and helping us experiment with different innovations. One of the main goals for drone success is the ability for drones to be able to carry out the basic human needs aeronautically. The technical term for Drones is “Unarmed Aerial Vehicles” or UAV. These Drones can be controlled by remotes or control systems. These systems can be programmed to fill the needs of the programmers without physically having to do it. Drones are made out of light weight compositions like (Example of Light Weight compositions) to maintain structure and extreme maneuverability. The feature that makes a drone a “drone” is the GPS equipment installed in the Drone. The GPS allows the drone to be controlled and operated from a control center. Drones are used in military situations very frequently but are being found more commonly in civilized operations. Drones have the ability to be flown at extremely high altitudes which is what makes them so valuable in the military field. The military uses the drones to keep up with foreign relations and war tactics in other countries. These UAV devices are coming from the battle field to the farmer’s field and are starting to be placed in companies like Amazon and UPS. The Drone manufacturing industry is changing and growing so rapidly that the future is looking bright. My personal prediction is that drones will have the ability to save money and time not only to big time companies but the average American Agriculturist.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International has predicted that 80
Percent of the commercial market Drones will be used in Agriculture.

It has also been predicted that a 100,000 jobs will be created and billion dollars in tax revenue will be generated by 2025. Iowa, being one of the top producers in corn production, understands that the usage of drones will create 1,200 more jobs and 950 million dollars in revenue impact in the next decade. Drones are predicted to produce jobs and save time which produces more money for the industry of agriculture. (Reword and become less repetitive)

Drones will have the ability to monitor and analyze crops for the agriculturist. It has been predicted that in next 10 years that almost every commercial farm in America will be using drones in some form or fashion. Drones will have the ability to monitor the crops and collect data to keep the agriculturist informed on his or her crop. Precision agriculture is a technique used to help monitor pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other applications that are being used or needing to be used. Drones are good investments for larger scale farms and have the ability to get information faster and less expensive for the agriculturist. (Reword and become less

repetitive)

The advantage drones have over humans in the agricultural world is that drones have the ability to save time which is extremely important when dealing with crops and livestock. Drones command centers will have the ability to store information and work faster and more effectively than the average agriculturist. They will be able to detect, monitor, and keep up with little details that are important when running a successful agricultural business like a farm, ranch, etc. Little details that a farmer may overlook when questioning how much fertilizer to use on a crop. Drones have the ability to store information and be the farmers “eyes from the sky” to help determine these details. (Choppy Sentences)

This new technology of aerial vision to help assess crops and livestock is exciting to anyone interested in this field of study. Even though the idea of the average American being able to own and operate a drone for personal usage may be unappealing to the public and make them uneasy. Proper training and simplification of the system it would help create a more clear vision and less hesitation to the idea of individual ownership. Informing the general public would be an important step in furthering Drone usage to agriculturists. Helping them understand where drones would be used and how they benefit others. (Need Transition system) The background information and simplifying the mechanics to the average agriculturist who is not knowledgeable in technological advancements. A factor in this would be uninformed people not knowing what the object was and damaging the object with fire arms or other weapons. People being hostile to the idea of unmarked air crafts. So just informing the general public would eliminate these cons for the usage of drones on an agricultural point.

The idea of moving towards the future in Agriculture is appealing to both old and new agriculturists. The usage of drones in agriculture will soon be more than an idea in today’s society. We’re growing towards a brighter future which is a great thing for the agriculture environment. Taking the steps towards using new innovations like the drone is risky but rewarding to anyone involved.