Droids and drones are moving from concept to commonplace when it comes to seeding, weeding and spraying farm crops.
The latest technology was on display at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show near Woodstock, Ont., this week. The massive trade show welcomes an estimated 40,000 people and took over more than 100 acres to highlight the latest equipment, technology and science in the agricultural, dairy and poultry industries.
Among the high-tech gear making its way onto farms is an autonomous solar-powered robot called the FarmDroid. The seeder and weeder was developed in Denmark and can work continuously without human assistance for 22 hours a day.
The FarmDroid, an autonomous solar-powered seeder and weeder, was featured at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show near Woodstock, Ont. Chuck Baresich, the founder and president of Haggerty AgRobotics, explained what FarmDroid does and how it can improve farming operations.
“It’s designed to be a close-to or 100 per cent chemical-free solution for growing specific vegetable crops,” said Chuck Baresich, the founder and president of Haggerty AgRobotics.
Baresich said the FarmDroid also makes it possible to free up workers to take on more productive farm tasks, citing an example where an onion farmer who would typically need up to 10 people to weed an onion crop, would only require one.
“That one person would just follow the robot to make sure it didn’t miss anything,” said Baresich. “It’s not that that farmer would get rid of 10 employees, those employees are now doing something more productive and valuable on that farm, and that’s really what the goal is.”
Drone technology has also become more robust and affordable to the point where farmers can purchase their own drones for spraying, spreading, mapping and surveying.
Lucas Weber with Ag Business & Crop Inc. was at the show to demonstrate how the technology is being used in place of traditional spraying methods using small aircraft.
Drone technology was a highlight at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show near Woodstock, Ont., this week. Lucan Weber with Ag Business & Crop Inc. was on hand to show how the technology is used for spraying, spreading, mapping, and surveying.
“Farmers want a different way to spray,” said Weber. “There’s zero compaction, there’s better timing. If it rains and you can’t get in with a tractor, you can still get in with a drone. They use GPS, everything is automated, and it can cover around 50 acres.”
To fly a drone, farmers need to obtain an advanced licence through Transport Canada and a Special Flight Operations Certificate to fly a drone weighing over 25 kilograms.
The demonstrations, tours and events continue at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show for one last day on Thursday.
