Monitoring the health of livestock and crops with the assistance of drones will be “run of the mill” in 10 years’ time, according to Drone Consultants Ireland Director Ian McMahon.
Mr McMahon was showcasing a crop-spraying drone at the National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly on Tuesday.
The device, which carries about 15 litres, can be used to identify and treat damaged crops without damaging the surrounding produce.
“With the drone technology and the technology of the new chemicals which use far less water, you can put up a drone which will spray a given area. It will also remember where it stopped, it will return back, you refill it and it will spray,” he said.
“You could get into a crop-spraying drone for something in the region of about €15,000, so it’s not excessive,” he said. In time, he believes the price will drop to somewhere between €6,000 and €8,000.
But that is just the beginning when it comes to possible applications for drones on Irish farms, according to Mr McMahon.
He said the technology is being used by, among others, insurance assessors in the US.
Source - http://www.irishtimes.com
