Drone technology usage picks up in ag farming
Day 2 of Ag Days
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/01/2025 (230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Human-sized drones were a popular sight this year at Manitoba Ag Days as the use of drone technology gains momentum in the farming industry.
Standing beside two large drones at the Keystone Centre, Kayden Wiersma from Green Aero Tech told the Sun he was surprised to see how many vendors were offering drones this year, compared to last. As a drone technician, he said growth might come from two selling points today — drones are cheaper, compared with ground equipment, and they do not disturb the soil.
“A very big thing is the price difference and the ‘no tire tracks’ on the ground,” Wiersma pointed out.
Farmers, producers and other visitors explore all the equipment on display during Manitoba Ag Days at the Keystone Centre on Wednesday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
Wiersma explained that ground machines used for spraying crops often cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that the $37,000 price point of the drones makes them more attractive to farmers.
He also revealed that Green Aero Tech, which is based out of Sperling, Man., has sold about 400 drones across Canada since getting into the sales business a year and a half ago. It is now focused on selling and servicing the Agras T50 model, which was released in 2024.
Standing in front of a drone at Ag Days, North Dakota farmer Dwayne Vormestrand told the Sun he has seen drone use grow in his area.
“It’s just taking off, it feels like now,” said Vormestrand. “When you see your neighbours with drones in their fields, it’s like, OK.
“Kinda makes you feel like you’re behind the times.”
The American farmer said he’s curious about drones, but he plans to wait a few years to let the technology mature. The primary motivation he has to buy a drone is to make life easier.
Kayden Wiersma crouches in front of an agricultural drone, the DJI AGRAS T50, at the Keystone Centre during Ag Days. Wiersma is a drone technician and one of many in the ag industry that have leaned into drones as an emerging technology to spray crops and spread seeds. (Connor McDowell/The Brandon Sun)
“I like it as efficiency,” said Vormestrand. “Less waste, all that stuff.”
Vormestrand said he estimates that about $7 worth of yield per acre is crushed when he drives a land tractor across his crops to spray. Drones would offer a solution to that, as well as for spreading seeds for cover crops, he stated.
The farmer produces on roughly 8,000 acres in the Willow City area, with crops, such as barley, wheat, soybean and canola. He said he sees the drone as a tool for specific areas that are hard to reach, but would favour a ground machine for the time being.
When asked about the performance of drones, Wiersma said the machine flies a mile round-trip, spraying chemicals such as herbicide all the while. It returns to the user to swap the battery, refill the chemical tank and launch the next cycle.
The drone flies according to a map the user draws on a touchscreen, Wiersma said. The map defines boundaries, no-spray zones and obstacles to avoid.
“You push a button that says ‘Go,’ and it (flies) there and comes back,” he told the Sun from his booth in the Keystone Centre on Wednesday.
Teddy Thompson, 3, plays atop a New Holland tractor on display during Manitoba Ag Days at the Keystone Centre on Wednesday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
Wiersma also explained the machines weigh about 210 pounds when full. They fly at about 10 feet above the crops, and work best in winds of up to 20 kilometres per hour. It is common that large acreages use multiple drones.
He added the drones can also reach areas that ground equipment cannot, such as wet areas that tractors would get stuck in.
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com