By Scout Nelson
On March 19, 2025, Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops! The webinar featured Ryan Huffman from Iowa State University’s Digital Ag Innovation Lab and Jorden Kuntz of Biosphere Drone Solutions. The session focused on how drones are transforming row crop agriculture.
The ISU Digital Ag Innovation Lab stands out for its focus on connecting university research with agtech companies that can bring innovations to market. This unique approach helps speed up real-world applications.
Imagery Drones:
Imagery drones offer a bird’s-eye view of crops using sensors that detect different light wavelengths. Near-infrared imaging provides insights into crop health, helping detect stress. NDVI data can guide real-time decisions like replanting poor stands or applying fungicides. Drones reduce the need for human scouting and can map weeds or even residue patterns that affect crop performance.
Spray Drones:
Spray drones offer flexibility, allowing application in wet fields or hard-to-reach areas. Unlike traditional sprayers, drones use prop wash—air pressure from propellers—to push droplets into crop canopies. These drones are customizable in droplet size, speed, and coverage width.
Early drone sprayers mimicked ground rigs, using high-volume liquid. However, drone efficiency allows for comparable results using only a fraction of that volume. Jorden Kuntz noted that although drone sprayers and precision sprayers like See-and-Spray have different functions, drone results are promising.
Precision sprayers target individual weeds instantly, while drones are designed to cover large areas efficiently. Still, drone adaptability to crosswinds gives them an edge in certain conditions.
To view the full session, visit: http://z.umn.edu/StrategicFarmingRecordings.
Photo Credits:pexels-flo-dnd
Categories: Minnesota, Crops