Mary Alice Reporting –
Like many new technologies in agriculture, drones are being used to plant seeds, scout crops for disease and insects and protect them from those pressures as well.
Kevin Morris with the Federal Aviation Administration, known as their “Drone Guy”, talks about the recent uptick in agriculture’s use of drones, primarily for dispensing products.
The biggest transition is the change in the process for certification of drone operators.
Morris emphasizes that drones are aircraft, so following FAA rules is important. The agency is constantly using outreach efforts to educate anyone who is considering drone use on the farm so heavier penalties aren’t necessary.
“Although they feel like they’ve been around a long time, they’re still relatively new, and a lot of people, they just don’t know. So a lot of times the FAA will come in and just counsel the individual, help educate the individual. Sometimes they can do additional training with their particular individual. Depending on the circumstances, we may be talking about fines or certificate action. We can suspend or revoke a particular certificate if need be.”
Overall, the enforcement action from FAA for drones is consistent with traditional aircraft.
For more information tailored for drone use in agriculture, visit FAA.gov and listen to the latest Ohio Farm Bureau Podcast, at www.OhioFarmBureau.org, to hear the entire conversation with Morris.
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