At the 2019 Oklahoma City Farm Show, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Associate Farm Director Carson Horn sat down with Cheyenne Laux of AgDrone Pro, an agricultural drone mapping and analytic service.
Using the most advanced technology, Laux explained how AgDrone Pro gives producers an eagle eye view of their entire field to help them precisely evaluate and plan for the highest and healthiest crop yields.
AgDrone Pro allows producers to monitor crop growth and protection measures in real time. By identifying areas of concern, AgDrone Pro can advise producers on how to proactively respond with targeted measures of care – saving time, money and potential losses. AgDrone Pro uses military-grade drones and technology, capable of flying up to 360 ft. above your fields. With data driven results and personalized service, their agricultural scouting drones they deploy allow you to see data in terms canopy coverage, areas of stress in your crop and also allow you to track growth over multiple seasons.
According to Laux, the multispectral imaging used by AgDrone Pro is very effective in evaluating soil productivity and analyzing plant health. He says, viewing the health of soil and crops with the naked eye is very limited and is reactionary. Multispectral sensor technology, on the other hand, allows you to see further than the naked eye. Data from multispectral imaging is proven to help identify pests, disease and weeds, optimize pesticide usage and crop sprays through early detection, detecting nutrient deficiencies, count plants and determine population or spacing issues, estimate crop yield, measure irrigation and more.
“Right now, we’re not seeing the price of crops go up – they’re staying put or going down,” Laux said, explaining the benefit of AgDrone Pro’s services available to clients. “So, with AgDrone Pro, instead of using the ‘spray and pray’ method – you got a thousand acres, so you buy a thousand acres worth of chemical, spray it and hope it works – now I can literally ground truth that and then treat specific trouble spots with the exact amount it needs, no more no less. So, now you’re spending less on your treatment upfront saving you potentially thousands of dollars.”
Source: Oklahoma Farm Report