| 79 Agri-Air’s advanced aviation technology Agri-Air has introduced advanced aviation technology to support more sustainable nutrient application. Kelly Deeks Agri-Air is opening new opportunities for Bay of Plenty farmers, with owners Ross and Schirelle Philips introducing advanced aviation technology to support more sustainable nutrient application on steep and sensitive country. Ross and Schirelle who also run the Tui Hills Hereford Stud, have launched the new business with a DJI T100 agricultural quadcopter, giving farmers a cost-effective option for areas that are too small or too challenging for helicopters and too steep for ground-based equipment. Ross says Agri-Air isn’t competing with the region’s helicopter operators. Instead, he saw a gap in the market for precise, low-rate application on smaller or hard-to-reach blocks, and the technology finally exists to do it well. “The T100 is a purpose-built agricultural aircraft with a 3.5-metre span, four heavy-duty rotors, a 100kg lift/spread and 100 litre spray capacity. Its performance is comparable to a helicopter, but in some jobs it’s more efficient, more accurate, and it takes the man out of the seat,” he says. The launch of Agri-Air builds on Ross and Schirelles long-standing connection with AgriSea products. They have been using AgriSea pasture, soil and animal nutrition solutions on their own farm since 2018, after moving away from synthetic fertiliser for environmental and animal health reasons. We are not greenies, but believe in working with the land, not forcing it. Chemicals have their place for pests and weeds, but we prefer not to use chemicals to grow grass Ross says. “With AgriSea we’ve seen dramatic improvements in soil health, pasture quality, and stock condition.” That commitment led Ross to look for a better way to apply bio stimulant products on the steep sidelings typical in parts of the Bay of Plenty. Their farm includes 16 hectares too steep for their tow-behind spreader, and helicopter work on such small areas wasn’t viable on a regular basis. When DJI announced the T100 — a significant upgrade from the earlier T40 and T50 — Ross knew it was the breakthrough he had been waiting for. He began the certification process in August, fast-tracking what usually takes more than a year into just two months. By the time the first shipment of T100s landed in New Zealand, Ross had secured all the required licensing, including his commercial agricultural and chemical pilot’s licences and became one of the RURAL SERVICES » Agri-Air first operators legally certified to fly the aircraft, he has been busy applying fertiliser and gorse spray since. The result is a service using an aircraft capable of extremely accurate, low-rate application — within 20cm of programmed boundaries — making it well suited to orchards, small farms, steep country, and semi-rural blocks surrounded by lifestyle properties. Ross sees huge potential, from improving unproductive sideling’s with weed spraying and follow up fertilising, or orchard spraying, to lifting building and fencing materials or beehives and pest traps into vehicle inaccessible areas. “This machine is so accurate, very capable, and cost-effective. I have only been flying it a couple of months and I can already see how efficient it is,” he says. Coupled with the Scud 350 batch mixer sporting a 600 liter per minute pump, mixing, agitating and refilling the aircraft with liquid payloads is as quick as changing the battery for the next flight, another example of efficiency keeping the operation flowing. CERTIFIED HANDLER CERTIFICATES Farmers | Growers | Resellers ENVIROSPRAY Knapsack | Motorised Boom & Handgun | Qualified Contractor PILOT CHEMICAL RATING Manned | Unmanned | Groundcrew Courses PEST CONTROL Controlled Substance Licence | Pindone Users Training adroitsolutions.co.nz ONLINE TRAINING OPTIONS For Ross, Agri-Air is the natural next step in his commitment to better farming, having heathier soil and stock by applying more natural fertilizers and farming in harmony with the land. “If I can help other people see the improvements we have seen on our steeper areas and benefit from this technology that’s a pretty good way to keep contributing.”
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