40 | Ag drones are the way of the future The agricultural drone then autonomously flies the exact route that has been planned on the map. Emma Bailey Agricultural drones are not fly by night; they are the way of the future. Cost efficient, environmentally friendly and versatile, Culture Drones is excited to be using the latest technology in Northland. Culture Drones Director and Chief Pilot Murray Brock moved back to Whangarei his home town to be near his family along with his partner and fellow Director Lauren. They had been closely following the rapidly increasing global trends of using drones in the agricultural, horticultural and forestry industries and thought that this was a technology that would be genuinely game changing throughout New Zealand. At the beginning of a job Murray will go out to the client’s location and assess the area being treated, carry out all the necessary health and safety checks along with identifying any hazards and anywhere that may be sensitive to spraying. He then puts a smaller mapping drone up. This gives us enough detail to identify plant species and outline the agricultural drone’s flight path at an unprecedented level of accuracy. It’s a huge advantage to ensuring we are protecting areas such as waterways, natives or beehives.” The agricultural drone then autonomously flies the exact route that has been planned on the map, maintaining a consistent altitude and row spacing to give a perfect application without overlap or overspray. “That is how we can work in such tight areas. We are able to create a buffer zone so you can’t go too close to a boundary, building, tree or anything else that could create a hazardous flight or spraying situation. “Spraying tough woody weeds like gorse or tobacco weed, we can map where the plants are growing specifically and use AI to identify what should be sprayed and what shouldn’t. The drone only turns the nozzles on when it is flying over the target plant so it becomes very chemical efficient, meaning a more cost effective application and less chemical being used in the environment overall. In forestry the spray drone is the ideal way to quickly spray out cut over blocks in hard to reach areas and release young pines or natives from invasive weeds. The drone can also apply moss, mould, lichen or whitewash treatments to commercial roofing or polytunnels. The drone is a very robust machine, measuring quite large at approximately 2.5m by 2.5m. RURAL SERVICES » Culture Drones
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=