Office of the Dean
Office of the Dean

Drone Sprayer Workshop

Drone Sprayer Workshop

Year: 2023
Project Leader: Josh Jackson
Department/Program: Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Funding: $800

With the cost of inputs being extremely elevated, crop producers are looking for ways that they can optimize yields. One avenue that is being explored is the purchase of drone sprayers. The purchase of a drone or, unmanned aerial system (UAS), sprayer must be evaluated carefully. For farmers and sprayer service providers who are thinking about purchasing a drone sprayer for their operation, a better knowledge base is needed for them to understand the the potential uses, the certificates and licenses required, equipment needed, utilities used, software implemented, insurance needed, maintenance and repairs executed, cost metric utilized, and application effectiveness considerations. Two- day long (9 am to 4 pm) conference (one in each end of the state) would allow for these topics to be extensively discussed. The format of the workshop would be similar to that of the UK fencing schools that are conducted. First, legal requirements and regulations would be discussed, and the program would then transition to more specific uses on farm. The afternoon sessions of the workshop would be geared toward the more practical aspects of conducting sprays and potential troubleshooting. Similar to the fencing schools, the goal would be to provide farmers, agents, and service providers the background needed to effectively mitigate problems with disease, weeds, or pests. 

Contact Information

Dr. Nancy Cox, Ph.D.
Dean

S123 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4772