Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
- Education and Training: extension, workshop
Proposal abstract:
The unmanned aerial system (UAS, also known as drone) is one of the new driving forces for economic development over the next few decades. Although numerous UAS applications are widely adopted for civil operations, including emergency response, hazard monitoring, delivery service, and public safety, there is still much untapped potential in agricultural applications. Over the past several years (2017 – 2022), the team at the University of Idaho (UI) has interacted with extension educators and agricultural advisors across Idaho, and there is overwhelming interest in UAS learning and training for precision agriculture. The goal of this project, therefore, is to engage ag professionals, including extension personnel, agricultural advisors, and tech-savvy producers to use the information with the end-user (typically a producer) through an innovative drone education program titled “The Idaho Drone League for Ag Professionals (iDrone Ag)”.
The goal of this project will be achieved by meeting three key learning objectives: 1) increase participant knowledge in drone technologies for precision ag (PA) tools, 2) increase participant motivation to utilize such tools by demonstrating how drones integrated with PA tools can increase net profits by reducing costs, and 3) increase participant self-confidence to fly drones for their own ag practices by meeting federal regulations and safety guidelines at the national airspace. The first iDrone Ag will take place at Parma Ag Exp Station for up to 10 Extension personnel and a few key agricultural advisors across Idaho in early-to-mid summer 2024. A second program will be offered in 2025 for a wider range of agricultural professionals and producers. Once Extension personnel complete this training, they will have ability to host iDrone Ag at their respective location so that more ag professionals and producers will increase their knowledge of how to use UAS’s to improve crop production and profitability (“trickle down effect”).
Project objectives from proposal:
The overarching goal of this project is to educate and train extension personnel to use the information with the end-user (typically a producer) through an innovative drone education program titled iDrone Ag. To achieve the goal of the project, three specific objectives will be met through the following specific tasks:
Objective 1: increase participant knowledge in fast-moving drone technologies for PA’s tools.
- Task 1.1: Develop online course curriculum to help participants obtain a remote pilot license, Part 107 issued by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
- Task 1.2: Develop sample test for participants to get familiar with the actual Part 107 test.
- Task 1.3: Generate a catalog with descriptions of common PA tools that integrate with drone technology to introduce participants to a wide range of applications.
Objective 2: increase participant motivation to utilize such tools by demonstrating how drones integrated with PA tools can increase net profits by reducing cost.
- Task 2.1: Demonstrate how to use drone technologies to increase the net profit at farm scales by reducing equipment (e.g. hours on sprayer or irrigation pump), labor (e.g. scouting large fields on foot), and input costs (e.g. applying fertilizer or herbicides to an entire field rather than specific areas).
- Task 2.2: Invite industry partners to share their drone experience in precision agriculture settings.
Objective 3: increase participant self-confidence to fly drones for their own ag practices by meeting federal regulations and safety guidelines at the national airspace.
- Task 3.1: Develop hands-on drone training modules to understand drone mechanics, operations, regulations, and safety guidelines.
- Task 3.2: Develop safe flight training for participants to practice flying in different conditions, ensuring their familiarity with all controls and features of the drone while flying.