Do Your Homework Before Purchasing a Drone

Betty Haynes, Contributor

It's not uncommon to hear the signature buzz of a drone in the countryside. Drone spraying has steadily increased in popularity for both farmers and commercial applicators, but are they a good fit for everyone?

Brady Holst, Augusta, Illinois, started spraying with drones in 2020 and never looked back. Holst farms corn, soybeans and wheat, spraying his acres with both a self-propelled sprayer and two DJI Agras T30 drones. The drones predominately spray fungicide on smaller or awkwardly shaped fields. Holst says herbicide and insecticide application on larger, square fields still works best with a ground sprayer.

If you have been considering purchasing a drone or hiring a custom drone applicator, Holst offers some sound advice before making a decision.

-- Know spray coverage and accuracy. The question Holst gets most often is about spray coverage. He says 2 gallons of fungicide in a drone provides the same coverage as 10 gallons with a ground sprayer. The downforce from blades acts to both lift the drone and push pesticides to the crops, providing excellent coverage with a small amount of product. When hiring a custom drone applicator, Holst recommends asking about spray width accuracy. Although his drone advertises a 30-foot spray width, the coverage is closer to a 20-foot span.

-- Consider operator tech-savviness. Holst recommends researching different drone companies and controller setups to match the device to the operator's tech expertise. His biggest learning curves in the beginning were learning how to run the remote controller and how to set up field layouts. Fortunately, field maps can be uploaded to the drone where spray spacing, direction and outlines are saved and recorded via controller. From there, Holst says he's developed a system of knowing when and where to launch, fill and refill the drones.

-- Think about spray timing and conditions. Holst purchased his first drone as a backup for when fields were too wet for ground spraying, or geography wasn't ideal for a spray plane. He says being able to spray fungicide as soon as he needs to, regardless of weather or geography, has resulted in considerable yield increases. His neighbors have taken notice, too, hiring Holst to spray smaller, last-minute patches when they get in a pinch.

-- Understand drones aren't a launch-it-and-leave-it technology (yet). Holst's DJI Agras T30 can spray 20 acres an hour, or 40 acres an hour with two drones. Each spray tank holds 8 gallons and sprays 2 gallons per hour. The drone can do 4 acres, or roughly five minutes, at a time before refills and battery swaps are needed.

-- Recognize technology advances and depreciation. Holst purchased his DJI Agras T30 plus batteries two year ago for around $30,000. Today, the DJI Agras T50 is nearly the same price but twice as fast, while the T30 sells for around $15,000. Although his T30 still works well, Holst says it's frustrating to know he could pay the same price today for better technology.

-- Look into licensing and certification. To fly a spray drone, the operator must have a drone pilot's license. Testing is administered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Holst says getting licensed was more of a process than he anticipated. The steps to become a certified drone pilot are available on the FAA website. In Illinois where Holst lives, state law also requires all pesticide applicators to obtain a commercial pesticide applicator license.

-- Be mindful of security concerns. All drones are banned on military bases since they are always recording photo and video. For farmers looking to spray fields near cities or sensitive areas, FAA airspace restrictions could be an issue. Holst hasn't had any trouble with security concerns where he's flying but says it's always a good practice to communicate with neighbors when flying a drone.

-- And finally, calculate ROI. Compared to pricey ground sprayers, Holst thought $30,000 was a worthwhile investment. When first looking to purchase a drone, he calculated that the drone would pay for itself in five years if it sprayed half of his corn fungicide acres. Instead, the drone paid for itself the first year since fields were too wet for ground application, and spray planes couldn't reach corners with trees and small fields. For that reason, Holst says, spray drones will always have a place on his farm.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

-- Federal Aviation Administration: https://www.faa.gov/…

-- Listen to an Illinois Extension podcast about drones and other recent ag technology: https://tinyurl.com/…

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