Farmers are always eager to learn about new farm technology, especially if it helps achieve production goals. One technology that’s garnering more interest is drones.
Ephraim Riehl, Matthew Riehl and David Stolzfus, of RiehlWay Ag in New Holland, PA, discussed the use of drones at the annual Penn State Farming for Success event recently.
Using a drone eliminates soil compaction and allows access to fields that are too wet for equipment. Since the drone doesn’t touch any part of the crop, the crop is thoroughly covered with product, yet undisturbed.
“It lays a blanket over the crop,” explained Stoltzfus. “The drone stirs the canopy – the whole canopy moves around – and the product goes down into the crop. The undersides of leaves are hit, and it pushes the product down in and around the leaves down to the bottom of the plant.”
Operating a drone for commercial purposes involves several layers of licensing through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). All drone operators, including hobbyists, must be licensed, at minimum, under Part 107.
Stoltzfus said Riehlway Ag operates under Part 137, which governs the use of aircraft dispensing or spraying substances for agricultural purposes. They also hold a Section 44807, which exempts them from certain regulations, including agricultural spraying, that apply to drones over 55 lbs. Working with ag chemicals requires them to hold current pesticide applicator licenses with core and aerial applicator sections.
For liquid applications, the drone carries a 10.5-gallon tank. The average application rate is 2.5 to 3 gallons/acre. “At 2.5 gallons/acre, the tank full will cover four acres in about four minutes,” said Stoltzfus. “We can set the drone so that once it hits 24% battery it’ll come back automatically.” Height of flight is typically 10 to 12 feet above the canopy.
After determining what’s needed for the application, the drone is launched to determine field boundaries. It takes about five to eight minutes to map a 50-acre field.
The speed of operation depends on the weather. If glyphosate is being applied, it flies at 8 mph; fungicides are applied at up to 12 mph. They also fly closer to the crop in windy conditions. The drone moves at 32 feet/second with a spray swath width of about 26 to 28 feet.
While RiehlWay Ag is relatively young, they’ve covered significant crop acreage. Drone technology is advancing rapidly, and the crew is keeping up with equipment advancements.
One change Stoltzfus has seen is battery improvements. The company will be purchasing a 20-gallon capacity drone that will have a longer-lasting battery. “We’re constantly charging batteries,” he said. “We can run one and be charging one, but we like to have a third to swap out, especially on hot days, to give the battery a break.”
RiehlWay’s new drone will also have LiDAR technology. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is laser-based remote sensing technology that performs many tasks, including the ability to provide detailed mapping such as high-resolution, 3-D digital models of the environment for a variety of applications including precision agriculture.
Riehlway’s drone trailer carries a tank that holds 1,000 gallons of fresh water and a smaller 175-gallon cone-bottom tank for mixing chemicals. Another smaller tank holds fresh water for rinsing equipment. The rig also carries two chargers for each drone.
Riehlway Ag has designed a custom trailer (patent pending) which is the result of determining what would improve the trailer they’re currently using.
“We’d be going down back roads and tree branches hit the drone,” said Stoltzfus. “Our generators and charging stations are out in the rain.” The new trailer design will be lighter, with a design similar to a box trailer. The front and back will collapse to open and fold up for travel. A local business will be making the new trailers, which RiehlWay plans to sell.
Ephraim Riehl said they did a good bit of trial and error before starting out. “Last year we met with Five Points Ag and they helped us test different products,” he said. “We set out test strips on the ground to check out swath width and coverage. We also tested the granular product – we put buckets out to check to see how good the coverage was at different speeds and different spread swath.”
They don’t deal with any of the chemicals. Instead, they work with agronomists who have the products and can provide what’s needed for a job.
Riehl said that although the company is busy, it wasn’t an easy start. “This isn’t a quick start business,” he said. “There’s a lot of studying and research to do.”
RiehlWay is licensed to apply in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey.
