For those managing food plots, ag drones offer a multitude of benefits that can enhance efficiency, accuracy, and overall results in your plot. Let’s take a look at ways farmers and hunters are using drones to enhance their operations and grow healthier crops.
Why Use a Drone for Your Food Plots?
Enhanced Planning and Layout
Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras can capture detailed aerial images of your land. This allows you to create accurate maps and identify the best locations for your food plots. By analyzing these images, you can determine the topography, soil conditions, and existing vegetation, ensuring that your food plot is set up in the most productive area. Mapping a plot gives you the accurate reading of the acreage so you can get the right amount of product for that particular plot.
Efficient Monitoring
Monitoring food plots traditionally involves a lot of time and effort, but drones make this process much more manageable. With real-time aerial footage, you can easily check the health of your crops, detect signs of pest infestations, or identify areas needing additional nutrients. This proactive approach allows for timely interventions, leading to healthier and more productive food plots.
Precise Application of Fertilizers and Seeds
Drones can be equipped with specialized payloads for spreading fertilizers and seeds. This technology ensures a more even distribution compared to manual methods, reducing waste and improving crop yield. Additionally, drones can access hard-to-reach areas and navigate around obstacles, making them an invaluable tool for precision agriculture. This also allows for applications at critical points in your plot without making footprints, meaning less damage to existing crops.
Thunder Ridge Outdoors Drone Case Study
We partnered with the team at Riehlway Ag to see firsthand how we could better incorporate drones into food plot operations. Here’s what we did:
We applied a nitrogen application of soy protein 16-0-0 to push more growth on our plot shield without needing to damage any of the vegetation. We also did a weed and feed application on the soybeans that were getting choked out with weeds due to the dry weather we had this summer and again the results were phenomenal and we noticed the deer responded especially well where we had done an extra foliar on the beans. Lastly, we overseeded a fall blend called 5 Star Rage into the corn and beans to get another layer of greens and create better growth coming back the following spring to help keep a living root system.
Options for Using a Drone on Your Fields or Food Plots
If you are looking to deploy a drone on your farm or hunting plot, you essentially have two options: buy a drone or hire an ag drone company. There are benefits to both, so let’s look at your options:
Buying an Ag Drone
Purchasing your own agricultural drone offers several advantages. Owning a drone allows for flexibility and convenience, as you can schedule flights and inspections at your own pace. This option is ideal if you frequently need aerial data or plan to use the drone for various tasks beyond your food plot. Additionally, having your own drone enables you to gain hands-on experience with the technology, allowing for a more personalized approach to managing your plots. However, keep in mind that investing in a high-quality ag drone requires a significant upfront cost, and there is a learning curve (as well as licenses and permits) associated with operating and maintaining the equipment.
Top-Rated Ag Drones
According to DSLR Pros, the DJI Agras series is the best drone used for fertilization and ag practices in 2024.
The DJI Agras T40 is a powerful and advanced drone designed specifically for agricultural applications. It excels in large-scale spraying tasks, making it ideal for extensive food plots. The DJI Agras T40’s large tank capacity and high-speed spraying make it suitable for large plots, reducing the time and effort required for fertilizer application. Its automation features also minimize operator intervention, enhancing efficiency.
Key Features:
- Spraying System: Equipped with a 10.5-gallon tank and a high-efficiency spraying system, it can cover up to 49 acres per hour.
- Precision: Features a high-precision RTK GPS system for accurate and consistent coverage.
- Automation: Supports automated flight paths and obstacle avoidance, ensuring efficient and safe operation.
Hiring a Drone Operator
On the other hand, hiring a professional drone operator can be a cost-effective and hassle-free solution, especially with the above drone coming in at a price of $20,000 (and that’s a small one). Professional operators bring expertise and advanced equipment that might be beyond your budget for a personal drone. They handle all aspects of the flight, from setup and operation to data analysis, ensuring high-quality results with minimal effort on your part. This option is particularly useful for those who need occasional aerial surveys or specific services like precise fertilizer application. However, you’ll need to schedule and coordinate with the operator, and the costs can accumulate over time if you require frequent services.
In the majority of cases unless you have an extremely large operation, there is probably not going to be a need to buy a high-tech drone, so we would advise looking into hiring a professional for the day you need drone services, but if after evaluating the costs and if you love flying a drone, then make the decision that makes sense for you!
Get the Right Fertilizers and Seeds for Your Food Plot
Whether you employ the services of a drone or not for your food plot this year, Thunder Ridge Outdoors is here to supply all of our hunters with the best food plot seeds and fertilizers to grow the healthiest and sweetest crops. Locate a dealer or contact us for more information on any of our food plot products.