Bernardita Sallato, WSU Tree Fruit Extension Specialist and co-lead of Extension for WSU AgAID Institute and Lav Khot, WSU associate professor and Director of Ag WeatherNet organized a Drone Field Day last May to showcase Khot’s WSU PrecisionAg lab collaborative research around drone technology along with four local commercial drone services. The activity has hosted at Alexander Ranch, Hayden Orchards.
According to Jake Schrader, Smart Farm Engineering Technician for WSU AgAID Institute, properly configured drones are a tool that can deliver a payload with great precision and efficiency – “every drop to the crop.” In other words, loss due to drift is greatly reduced as is harm to the environment. That payload could be water, chemicals, beneficial insects, seeds, or simply air. The drones are nimble and can access locations that may be difficult, impossible, or prohibitively inefficient for other methods of distribution. Furthermore, because operation is remote, worker exposure to chemicals is nearly eliminated, necessary only for mixing and filling, but no exposure during application.
