It may look like a toy, but as Ag Weekly has reported, Robert Blair’s CropCam unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, provides visuals of his farm that are vital for his precision farming. Robert says his CropCam is basically the same product the military and NASA are using. Here’s an excerpt from Ag Weekly on how Robert uses the CropCam:
Blair flies CropCam, a remote-controlled drone aircraft that takes detailed photos of his fields. CropCam is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that carries a high-resolution digital camera.
He loads the plane into his pickup, assembles the drone, hooks up the GPS, auto-pilot and camera, and with a running toss the aircraft, takes to the blue skies above the Clearwater River…
The drone meticulously maps every foot of the wheat field with high-resolution digital photos that pinpoint trouble spots where Blair can add more water or fertilizer to increase yields and bring in more dollars.
In the article, Robert says most farmers think you have to be rich to use such advanced technology. But, Robert advises that smaller farmers need to strongly consider investing in the technology if they want to remain competitive.
You can view the entire article here.