- Author: Konrad Mathesius
Growers, PCAs, and other members of the Ag Community, Interested in starting to use drones in your operations, but not sure exactly where to begin? Join us for the Drone Technology for Crop Agriculture workshop and Introduction to GIS for Crop Agriculture on September 28th and 29th, 2017.
We'll be going over what you need to get started including basic drone operation, safety/ regulations, and an in-depth course on how to actually offload data and process it into decision-making tools. This two-day workshop is meant for beginners and will be focusing on some real-world applications in agriculture (row crops, orchards, and range land). Space is limited. Register for either or both of the classes though the IGIS website.
Some examples of what can be done with drones:
-Near infrared index (indicates crop stress due to insect pressure, disease pressure, changes in soil type, water stress)
-Weed densities and locations (using multispectral cameras that assist in teasing out different shades of green)
-Locating and prioritizing subsurface irrigation leaks
-Using crop data to design variable rate applications or site-specific amendments
-Yield estimates (using photogrammetry to find correlations between perennial canopy volume/ density and yield)
-Rootstock selection based on canopy stress patterns and soil data
-Optimizing sections of land for different annual varieties/ planting densities based on canopy and historical yield data
-Locating wandering livestock
-Comparing grazing pressure...
What:
Drone Technology for Crop Agriculture and Introduction to GIS for Crop Agriculture. (IMPORTANT: Registration is separate for each course). More information about the courses can be found on their websites.
Where:
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Headquarters, 2801 2nd Street, Davis.
When:
Thursday-Friday September 28th and 29th, 2017 11am-4pm. Lunch will be provided.
Cost:
$100 (or $50 for each day-long course). Register online through the links above.