1. Field checks
Drones are helpful for everyday crop checks, but can also be helpful in annual checks to see if what you have done to improve drainage or whatever else, is working.
2. Annual progress
If you fly over your field on the same day each year you can see improvements or notice that nothing has changed.
3. Pest control
Thiele also uses the drone to check his pest traps. He traps racoons and groundhogs that destroy their crops and are a nuisance to the farm. Using the drone to check the traps saves him steps and time by first discovering which traps need attention.
4. Spot spraying
DJI makes a drone about two or three times larger than a typical drone with eight rotors that can be used to spot spray. It lifts a tank high into the air, and the operator can view the field from the air and spray where it is needed, saving time and money with precision spraying.
5. NDVI
Normalized difference vegetation index is a numerical indicator that uses the visible and near-infrared bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.
This technology has been adopted to analyze remote sensing measurements and assess whether the target being observed contains live green vegetation or not. With NVDI, you can determine crop damage, stress, drought, wind or hail damage.
6. Education
Farmers are lifelong learners, hosting many field days and discussions to share and learn from one another, Thiele, like others, has used his drone to share farming practices with others.
He has taken drone footage at farming events so farmers could see what was happening in the field live on a screen. He also focuses on agricultural advocacy, taking videos of the everyday happenings at his farm and creating a voice-over to educate consumers.
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