DRONES are making a big impact in agriculture, with on-farm use increasing as they improve in ease of use and price.
Tamworth business New England Instrument Company (NEIC) has sold unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the past 18 months and interest is only increasing, managing director Brett Peters said.
NEIC stocks the full range of DJI drones and accessories and offers after sale support and service.
“We’ve sold a number of drones to construction and energy companies, earthmovers, real estate agents, and landholders who are looking to access remote areas and check stock, water and boundary fences,” Mr Peters said.
“They’re getting more affordable – we’ve had two price changes in the past month – and the technology is improving rapidly, but they’re still very user friendly.”
The Land has partnered with NEIC to acquire a Phantom 4 Pro drone, with livestock representative Kirra Kelly using the drone to film and produce livestock pre-sale videos for stud producers.
Mrs Kelly completed a two-day UAVAir Flight Foundations Course at Armidale in June, and has since been using the drone to capture aerial footage of stud livestock and their environment.
“I’ve experienced primary producers using drones to check calving heifers and water troughs or fence lines – they are becoming more and more useful in agricultural systems and now even more so in marketing livestock,” Mrs Kelly said.
It’s been a big benefit for The Land’s livestock clients, with Mrs Kelly able to add value to their marketing prior to sales.
The Phantom 4 Pro is a premier photography drone, capturing images with a one-inch 20-megapixel sensor and capable of shooting high resolution video at 60 frames per second.
“The increase in video views and playbacks has been significant since incorporating drone footage,” she said.
The use of drones with livestock can be an asset to marketing your livestock and eliminate occupational health and safety risks.
“I can capture the uniformity of a sale draft by flying over and around the livestock while standing outside the paddock,” Mrs Kelly said.
“Fly overs can give potential buyers a great overview of the condition and structure of the livestock but you can capture great profile footage by hovering the drone at eye level. The other advantage is you can show viewers the environment the livestock are bred and raised in.”
When operating a drone around livestock it’s important the operator has a strong sense for livestock flight modes, and with the drone making some noise, it can scare livestock if used incorrectly, Mrs Kelly said.
“While the Phantom 4 Pro is easy to use, it’s important to go learn how to fly and maintain it. That’s why we’ve done the hard work for our stud producers, allowing them to improve their livestock marketing.”
