Drones are helping to make our world safer, more efficient and a more sustainable place. This is particularly so in rural Australia where the benefits are compelling. Now widely accessible, with Agskilled funded training in NSW[i] to help you learn how to use this technology, it seems pointless to sit on the sidelines.
Here are just a few of the benefits for you and your team:
- Helping you and your team to get home to loved ones. Drones can be used to survey and inspect dangerous or inaccessible areas, such as steep country, powerlines, bridges, and other infrastructure such as silos. This can help to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries for those who would otherwise have to access these areas on foot. Additionally, for those who have a reliance on helicopters or gyrocopters (autogyro), drones can complete the task while the operator remains safely on the ground. Transgrid and Infravision have already started to embrace the opportunity.
- Make timely decisions and increase profits so you have more freedom about where and how you spend your time. Drones can be used to collect data and images much faster than traditional methods, such as ground surveys. You can make quick pasture assessments far more effectively from the air than stuck down on the ground. In turn, you will have live information available to make the right decisions for your business.
- When you know your stock are healthy, you sleep better. Drones can be used to collect images and videos of livestock, which can be used to monitor their health and well-being. This can be especially useful for detecting sick or injured animals, as well as for tracking the progress of animals that are being treated for a particular condition. There is no need to go to bed wondering how your animals are travelling.
- Reduce the need for bikes and helicopters. Drones can be used to muster or count livestock, which can be a time-consuming and labour-intensive task. If you need to hire the labour in, it can also be complicated and expensive. Check out this article on Mustering by drone
- Look after the landscape so it can look after you. Drones can be used to survey and inspect areas without having to send people on foot, which can help to reduce the environmental impact of land-based activities. For example, drones can be used to inspect wet areas and fragile ecosystems without impacting the surrounding vegetation.
- Get real time information so you know what is going on. Drones can be used to livestream video and images from remote locations, which can help to improve communication between different teams and individuals. This can be especially useful in emergency situations, such as natural disasters or remote accidents.
As we work with and talk to more land managers, the ways drones are being used to improve their quality of life can be as unique as they are. At the end of the day, it is your choice about how you make the technology work for you.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can use drones in your enterprise, check out our website for upcoming training opportunities. Note, Agskilled funding has now extended to include livestock producers alongside cotton, grains and production horticulture so it has never been a better time to come along and find out more
Bralca.com: creating choice through knowledge
[i] Drones in Agriculture and Farm mapping and data collection are both available through Tocal College. Pastoralists are now eligible in the next round commencing soon.
