When fields are wet or the crop is too tall, applying a fungicide by airplane and even helicopter can be a solution. So why then aren’t farmers clear to spray by drone?
It all comes down to Transport Canada rules on piloting and approved label uses by product. Currently, there’s only one herbicide with a label that allows for drone spraying, and that’s for non-crop uses only.
Spraying by drone isn’t as simple as considering it a remote-controlled plane — the spray cloud acts differently, and key research is required to determine which products, at what rate and volume, will get the all-clear to be used on crops.
Failing to secure the correct approvals for spraying by drone carries a $10,000 fine, says Jason Deveau, spray specialist with Ontario, in this episode of the Agronomists. There’s also the question of product performance. What happens if there’s off-target movement? What’s the recourse if a product doesn’t perform as expected? Farmers stand risking a lot by using drones to spray off-label.
But if social media videos are any indication, spraying by drone is being explored by many, and we want to know — once it is legal, will spraying by drone be a must-have or just hype?
