High-Tech Farming in Virginia
In partnership with: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Bob Waring and Kenneth Kroeger can attest to the power of a bird’s-eye view. To be more precise, they can testify to the value of images and knowledge that come from the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in agriculture.
Waring, who works in precision nutrient management for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and also helps manage his family farm in Tappahannock, became interested in UAV technology some time ago. To learn more about this new technology and to put it to use, Waring hooked up in 2014 with Kroeger, a flight control engineer for the Department of Defense. With Waring’s background in farming and Kroeger’s expertise in UAVs – commonly known as drones – the pair has traveled the state giving presentations and talks on how invaluable the technology is and how useful it can be to farmers, ranchers and others in the agriculture industry.
They’re sort of the yin and yang of drones.
“We’re a pretty good team in that I can cover a lot of the technology knowledge, what the aircraft can do,” Kroeger says, “and if a farmer has any new ideas, we can see how the technology can be useful and where it can grow.”
Wine And Water
The work that Waring and Kroeger are doing is but one example of how Virginia is at the forefront of putting this technology to use for the benefit of agriculture. In June 2015, Governor Terry McAuliffe established the Virginia Unmanned Systems Commission to bring public and private sector experts together to make recommendations on how to make Virginia the national leader in unmanned systems. The year 2015 also saw the completion of a couple of significant high-tech projects that help strengthen the agriculture industry.
Specifically, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center Applied Sciences’ DEVELOP program completed two projects designed to support Virginia’s wine industry and improve the efficiency of water consumption for agricultural purposes. Known as Virginia Agriculture II, the first project paired the Virginia Wine Board with DEVELOP to map the acreage of the state’s vineyards using NASA Earth observations. Results will help the Wine Board to explore the future of viticulture.
The Coastal Mid-Atlantic Water Resources III project partnered the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and Digital Harvest, a Virginia-based company using UAV technology in the agriculture sector, to use NASA Earth observations to gain a better understanding of how often farmers need to irrigate their fields, with a goal to decrease water waste and lower economic costs. Conserving water is a global issue, especially in light of the increasing population and the need to grow more food.
A Bigger Picture
For their part, Waring and Kroeger got the ball rolling – or the UAVs flying – when they did their first presentation at the 2015 Virginia Grains and Soybean Conference.
Their presentation included information on the different types of aircraft available, and the pros and cons of fixed wing versus rotary wing. It also pointed out how UAVs can help precision agriculture in determining timeliness of nitrogen on corn and wheat; types of insects, disease and soil; and pH problems or overlap in application.
The presentation also showed examples of aerial images and heat maps that illustrate how some agricultural issues can only be spotted from the air.
“That’s the interesting point we take to farmers,” Kroeger says. “Looking from a road or other points they may have access to, their crops may look great. But the advantage of using aerial is you can get a bigger picture now.”
Waring and Kroeger will be participating in the National Small Farms Association’s annual conference field tours in September 2016, demonstrating the use of UAVs. Waring’s farm was selected to showcase the technology and how to assist small farms. Farmers from nearly 70 countries will attend the conference, which will be hosted by Virginia State University and held in Virginia Beach.