A hands-on UAS training for ag professionals to sustain western agriculture in a changing climate

Commodities

Practices

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”).

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.