farm news
Drone
Technology
in Precision
Farming
As new developments in
precision farming seem to
emerge at an increasing
rate, The Farmers’ Mart
takes a look at the latest
technology employed
within the precision
farming industry.
During the last decade it
has been hard not to witness
the military application of
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(UAS), or drones as they
are routinely referred to, or
more recently, the aspirations
of the larger distribution
companies such as Amazon
and DHL to utilise them;
but what can they do in
farming?
We approached Helishots, a
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
licensed aerial survey, video
and photography company,
to catch up on the latest
developments with Managing
Director, James Ixer, who
formed Helishots after leaving
the RAF, where he had flown
operational helicopters for 17
years.
“Data is captured using
the very latest in drone
technology, with a state-ofthe-art multispectral camera
that captures images in a
variety of wave-lengths,”
James explained. “To the
human eye these pictures
will mean very little, but
once they are stitched
together and processed
the detailed analysis can be
conducted. Together with
expert agronomic analysis
the images can be translated
into something meaningful
for the farmer and a bespoke
solution can be offered.
W& A
Watts & Associates
Plant & Commercial Auctioneers
Carlton General Sales
SATURDAY 24TH JANUARY 2015
Opening Sale of 3,500 Lots Contractors Plant,
Agricultural & Grounds Maintenance Equipment,
Vehicles & Small Plant
(The Auction Centre, Carlton Industrial Estate, Barnsley)
“Typically, the analysis
will look at all aspects of
monitoring plant health,
including fungal and
nutritional stress, plant
competition and insect
affects. Additionally, plant
counting and flowering rates
can be determined as well as
mapping for game disaster,
climate damage and irrigation
systems.
“The benefit of using the
drone is that it can easily
capture the data of up to
150 hectares in a single
visit and, because a multispectral camera is used, it
can analyse all these different
stresses at once. The
accuracy is impressive too,
with GPS precision guidance
and a resolution of 8mm on
an overfly at 50m.
“Ultimately though, the
farmer’s real interest is in
the final yield of the crop, so
a comprehensive service is
provided that starts with an
initial consultation and leads
to a solution that can easily
be automated into farming
plant to target with accuracy
those specific areas in
need of treatment,” James
concluded.
Regular collective live &
webcast sales by public
auction (every 5-weeks)
Regular special sales by
timed webcast only auction
Auctions by special
instruction undertaken on
request
Entries of equipment taken
on a daily basis
Tel: 01226 247591
On-line bidding facilities available
through I-bidder & Bidspotter
www.wattsauctions.co.uk
Barkston Road, Carlton Industrial Estate, Barnsley S71 3HU
Find out more: call 01226
280555 or 07973 101998.
To read more, visit www.farmers-mart.co.uk
FarmersMart Dec/Jan 2015
5