Agriculture Drone Services
Aerial drone solutions have made a huge impact on the agriculture industry. At first thought, UAV’s and agriculture don’t seem to go hand in hand, however they are a match made in heaven. Drones are a crucial part of the so called “precision agriculture” strategy. Precision agriculture is also known as precision ag or precision farming and means analyzing data to minimize inputs and maximize returns on agricultural land.
Aerial thermal imaging and NDVI imagery are used in combination with “regular” drone cameras to provide complete aerial view of farmland. Agriculture mapping with drones is beneficial at all stages of the farming season. Using drones in farming helps with plant health and crop management, irrigation and drainage issues, insect and disease detection and much more.
Thermal Imaging for Field Tile Drainage and Irrigation Mapping
For large and small farms, irrigation management is the key to success. Our aerial mapping services help farmers manage soil moisture levels on their land. Aerial surveying with drones generates accurate 2D and 3D maps of the terrain which are used for irrigation and drainage management. We use high resolution radiometric thermal imaging to create thermal maps of the ground.
Aerial thermal imaging gives us the ability to accurately assess moisture levels in the soil. By utilizing UAV thermography as part of our aerial mapping services, we can create farm and ranch irrigation surveys. We can pinpoint areas that have to little or to much water and even detect leaky irrigation pipes.
Crop Scouting with Drones
Using drones for monitoring agriculture is becoming part of standard practice in farming. Utilizing remote sensing for crop management makes farms more efficient, safer, and more profitable. Drone assisted crop monitoring enables farmers to make well informed resource decisions.
Drone crop surveys with multispectral and thermal cameras provide an in depth crop health analysis. Our high resolution radiometric thermal cameras can detect the slightest variations in crops and soil. At Albatross Enterprises we use commercial drones that can safely in harsh weather and map up to 1000 acres per day.
Crop Damage Assessment
Drones provide extremely valuable aerial imaging which is used for crop damage assessment and documentation. Drone photography and videography provides critical information for measuring and documenting damage to crops caused by floods, fire, pests, weather, etc. Having clear evidence of the extent of damage can speed up the insurance claim process.
Many Alberta farms have surface revenue lease agreements from pipelines or similar operations going through their land. These pipelines can make certain farm areas unproductive and our drone videos can help avoid disputes with these companies.
Other uses of drones in agriculture
Drones are becoming a crucial tool in farming and we have only scratched the surface of what this new technology can do. Drones boost yields, save time, raise return on investment, provide us with crop health imaging, and increase water efficiency. It doesn’t stop there either.
UAV’s can be also used to monitor and count livestock. Utilizing aerial thermal imaging we can quickly locate missing or escaping livestock. In some places drones are even used for seeding and spraying operations. Use of drones in agriculture will continue to grow and farmers shouldn’t wait to take advantage of the benefits they bring to the table.
Considering how long agriculture and farming have been in existence, it is no surprise that new tools in this field don’t come around to often. Fortunately, drones are that new tool and they are making big changes in the agriculture industry. Please contact us for more information.
