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April 2017 Articles

Spiritual Corner:
Forum features feral hogs, forest management
Cattlemen, Public Lands Council Applaud
PLC, NCBA Applaud Senate Push for Transparency of Judgment Fund
Unseasonable weather affects Louisiana pastures
Make sure your bulls are ready
Use insecticides only when needed
Factors affecting bred cow valu
• Workshop features drones in agriculture
Farm Bureau Welcomes Zinke Confirmation
Farm Bureau Praises Trump’s WOTUS Action
Youths earn Gerry Lane Premier Exhibitor Award
Farmers, Rangers ask Congress to Strengthen Safety Net
Farm Bureau Recognizes Monsanto for Wildfire for Wildlife Relief Donations
Agritourism workshop teaches on-farm safety
Flavorful herbs are easy to grow
USDA Designates 13 Counties in Arkansas as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with
Beef, forage field day set for April 27 in Bossier City
Utah man arrested in Louisiana on timber theft-related charges
LSU AgCenter to hold MarketReady workshops
Just Rambling April 2017

(21 articles found)

Archives by Months

Workshop features drones in agriculture

Workshop features drones in agriculture Writer: Bruce Schultz at 337-788-8821 or bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu
(03/21/17) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Drones can provide an aerial view of a crop’s progress and health, but they won’t replace scouting fields on foot, LSU AgCenter researchers advised on March 16 at a drone workshop held at the AgCenter Dean Lee Research Station.
Dennis Burns, LSU AgCenter county agent in Tensas Parish, said insects can’t be detected by air unless crop damage is extensive. “The images are only going to show so much,” he said. Thermal cameras provide imaging that reveals more information than other imaging devices. Thermal cameras are expensive, but they are becoming more affordable, Burns said. Stitching several hundred photos together from a flight can take two to three hours of computer processing, he said. And obtaining good images requires uniform light, with no spotty cloud cover. Jimmy Flanagan, LSU AgCenter county agent in St. Mary Parish, said he recommends two people for conducting a drone survey: one to fly the aircraft and another to watch the aircraft and a computer monitor that provides details on the drone’s progress. R.L. Frazier, LSU AgCenter county agent in Madison Parish, said his crashes occurred when he was working alone. Frazier said he has worked with a camera that makes images with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index called NDVI, to help reveal disease, insect and nematode damage. But many farmers won’t have time to learn how to use the devices. A basic drone can cost $800 to $1,000, said AgCenter agricultural engineer Randy Price. Software to process images can cost $2,000 to $3,500 and require large-capacity computers. Fixed-wing aircraft often are better suited for field work, with the capability of covering 100-200 acres per flight, Price said. Federal regulations require licensing of drones, and commercial drone operators must undergo additional training to learn airspace protocol and how pilots communicate, he said. Farmer George LaCour, of Pointe Coupee Parish, said he wants to get a drone to monitor his irrigation system. He said he often has to spend several hours walking through fields to fix plastic pipe that moves water to his corn, soybeans and sugarcane. Forestry consultant Danny Wells, who has a commercial drone business, said he attended the workshop to learn about programming routes for his drones instead of flying the aircraft by sight. “I do logging inspections to see if they finished a logging job or to see if they got all the timber,” he said. Drones also allow him to survey damage from fire or insects. “You can get a much better picture and the extent of damage instead of walking,” Wells said.

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