UAS have a variety of potential uses in the agricultural sector, including to scout fields and spot insect infestations, weed problems and nutrient issues.

The technology can be the difference between taking hours to walk a field or seconds to scan it from above, experts say.

“I think that’s what we’re looking at — potential,” says Dr. Jarrod Miller of the University of Delaware Extension, via Lancaster Farming. During the 4R Technology Day held in Queenstown, Maryland on August 15, Miller conducted UAS demonstrations.

Miller says that UAS have the potential to be a “significant tool to help farmers,” but he urges farmers to be careful not spend a lot of money, and to make sure that they buy something that can be used for more than just a few months.

With the constant changes in technology, it’s easy for farmers to buy something that isn’t compatible with other technology, that quickly becomes outdated or that can’t be replaced because companies go out of business and replacement parts can’t be found.

Miller is familiar with that last issue, as one of the UAS that he was flying is from a company that has gone out of business. That UAS, a favorite of his, has a maximum life of perhaps two years.

This issue, Miller says, is not unlike the dot-com bubble of a few years ago, and he believes that within the next five years, things should sort themselves out and business “winners” will emerge.

“I think it’s going to shake out,” Miller says.

Until then, Miller suggests that farmers get a UAS with radar—to keep it from running into things—and a return to home or return to takeoff site function. The UAS should also have a camera that can connect to a cellphone or portable device.

While it’s easy to spend up to $8,000 or $10,000 for this technology, Miller says that most farmers should be able to get something usable for less than $1,000.

“You don’t need to spend a lot of money,” Miller says. “There are issues with everything. There’s nobody that has the whole system. Let everybody else be the guinea pig.”