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Centra Sota Cooperative Agronomy A Day in the Life of a Drone Applicator

A Day in the Life of a Drone Applicator

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A Day in the Life of a Drone Applicator

  • hpoppler
  • Oct 15, 2024
  • 2 min read

Updated: Oct 28, 2024

Did you know that drones are now being used in agriculture? Drones are used for crop spraying, cover crop seeding, stand counts, and field inspections, enhancing field efficiency with sub-inch accuracy.

Centra Sota has used their imagery camera for several years to capture NDVI imagery, video, and conduct corn stand counts. This season we introduced application drones, which have already generated great results and high demand from local farmers.

Centra Sota drone used to spray fields and seed cover crops.

We had the chance to experience a day in the life of a drone applicator. Read on to learn more about drone application and what a typical day of flying these drones looks like!

Preparing the Drone for Flight: Calibration and Setup

The day starts with the crucial step of calibrating the drones. Each time the seed type or mix is switched, recalibration is necessary to ensure the correct application rate. These small adjustments are key to spreading just the right amount of seed or crop protection product.

For today’s flight, the team will be seeding a cover crop blend of kale and turnips. There is a little bit of math involved! The applicators must figure out the weight of the seed to put in the drone. Before the drone takes off, it needs to be programmed with settings like flight height, speed, and distance to ensure the application is precise.

Drone applicator loading the drone with the precise seed weight.

Preparing for Takeoff

Drone applicators are required to have a license to fly these machines. Once the pre-flight checks are completed and everything is set, the applicator is ready to fly! The programed flight path ensures the drone moves smoothly across the field, dispensing seed with accuracy.

During the flight, the drone uses a gate and speed setting to control the amount of seed being released. The drone is equipped with a camera, allowing you to see exactly what it sees!

Drone applicator watching the camera to follow the path of the drone!

During the Flight!

Flight times typically range from 5 to 12 minutes, depending on the drone’s load and battery life. After each flight, the drone lands, and the applicator reloads the seed and replaces the battery before launching it back into the sky.

Centra Sota drone in flight!

Fun fact: Imagery drones can cover up to 1,000 acres a day and spray drones can cover up to 200 acres a day. This level of efficiency is game-changing for farmers looking to save time and increase precision.

Thank you for following along in the day in the life of an agronomy applicator flying our drone! We hope you leaned something and find this technology as cool as we do!

Check out the full video on our Youtube Channel!

Reach out to Centra Sota for all your agronomy needs! centrasota.com/agronomy