S1: BCG acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and
S1: their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our
S1: respects to their elders, past and present.
S2: So it's essentially a drone in a box and it
S2: is automated, but it's only just been released, so it
S2: will basically open up at a predetermined time, do its
S2: map and come back and park up and close up
S2: for the night. And people are sending them out every
S2: day to collect data. It's in a weatherproof station that
S2: sits outside a shed. As long as it's got internet
S2: and power, you can then plan flights at any time
S2: of the day so it will open up. It's got
S2: its own little weather station inbuilt, so if it is
S2: too windy it won't take off. So there are some
S2: safety measures in place as well.
S3: Hello and welcome back to Shared Solutions by BCG. I'm
S3: Janine Batters and in the last episode of our series
S3: on the Horizon Farm Tech sponsored by GE silos, we're
S3: speaking with Adam Mitchell from Drone Land, and he's going
S3: to be talking to us about how drones are being
S3: used in agriculture. Welcome, Adam.
S2: Afternoon, Janine. Thanks for having me.
S3: So very excited to have you on the show today, Adam,
S3: because drones are getting pretty big in agriculture. So looking
S3: forward to having this conversation with you, Adam. Just for
S3: a start, can you give our listeners a bit of
S3: a background on who you are and why you're so
S3: passionate about drones?
S2: Sure thing. So our business is Drone Land Australia, so
S2: we are end to end solution providers for training, sales
S2: and basically anything to do with drones. So that's that's
S2: our business model. Um, we got into business. Our family
S2: owns cattle farms and have been involved in cattle farming
S2: for a little while. We've got a family property up
S2: in Gympie in Queensland, and where it really came about
S2: was pretty organic by nature. There was a neighbor up
S2: there a couple of years ago that was using a
S2: drone to create more fertility amongst his land that he
S2: couldn't access by foot or by vehicle. And it was
S2: the first time I'd really been exposed to drones in agriculture.
S2: And it really fascinated myself and my two business partners,
S2: who are also my brother in law. So from there,
S2: we began a real six month period of flat out
S2: research on how they were used and some of the
S2: synergies and impacts it could have. And like you said,
S2: even from your research, it just opened up our eyes
S2: as to the possibilities that we could achieve together. And
S2: we also like that it was Australian. We could impact
S2: the very things in our own backyard, and it was
S2: technology that was designed for a really good purpose, not
S2: just changing things for the sake of changing. There's real
S2: value in what drone technology can add in agriculture. So
S2: that was sort of how it came about. And we
S2: decided to launch into business together.
S3: So just for a start, for our listeners, can you
S3: tell me more about what type of drones they are
S3: there are available on the market? What do they do
S3: and how much do they cost?
S2: Okay, so the simplest way to probably explain it is
S2: that there's a variety of different models and makes. At
S2: drone land, we sell specifically DJI products. We just find
S2: their workflows are seamless and very user intuitive. So from
S2: a first time user all the way to a seasoned professional,
S2: they've just got a really diverse and comprehensive range of
S2: products that are very easy to use. We tend to
S2: split them up into two categories. You've got your smaller
S2: sort of mapping drones and then your larger spraying, spreading,
S2: applying drones, particularly in agriculture. So with the enterprise series,
S2: which is your smaller mapping drones, it's a drone that's
S2: probably the size of the palm of your hand, maybe
S2: a little bit bigger. And they're equipped with different sensors
S2: and payloads. Some might have thermal capabilities so you can
S2: see animals at night. Some have lidar, which is good
S2: for surveying and topography. They're all equipped with pretty high
S2: end cameras. So any form of photography very good. And
S2: then obviously 3D models and rendering and also variable rate
S2: applications for those farmers that want to be a bit
S2: more specific with what they spray and where they spray it.
S2: That's where that workflow comes into the application of the
S2: spraying and spreading drones. So the agri series, which is
S2: the DJI Agras T50, which is the hallmark drone at
S2: the moment, it's a 50 litre drone. It can spray
S2: and spread and map, so quite a large piece of equipment,
S2: but very versatile in its offering. So the enterprise drones,
S2: depending on the payload, they vary from anywhere from around
S2: sort of the $5,000 mark to the $15,000 mark, depending
S2: on what application you're after. And then the agro series.
S2: Drones start at around 25,000 and can go up to
S2: 60 to 70,000, depending on the package that you want
S2: to build around them. But that's a ballpark of where
S2: they sit.
S3: So the little ones, they're about the size of your
S3: palm of your hand. That's quite small. So what kind
S3: of things are they mapping Adam?
S2: Typically, our most popular form of mapping at the moment
S2: is boundary mapping. So customers may want to go and
S2: fly their farm and create paddock boundaries that can then
S2: be uploaded into the larger spreading drone. So they'll go
S2: and do a very quick map. They might map half
S2: a dozen paddocks, they'll create a boundary file or a
S2: shapefile that will then be super accurate sort of centimeter accuracy,
S2: and then upload it into the larger spraying drone. That's
S2: a plug and play scenario where they just swipe to
S2: execute the mission, and the drone will go off and
S2: start spraying at a predetermined rate. One of the other
S2: benefits that the smaller ones can offer is the variable
S2: rate application. For example, a multi-spectral drone, which will have
S2: different sensors on the top, will be able to determine
S2: variations in crop health. Or there might be an area
S2: of deficiency that needs further attention. So you can then
S2: create a map that's specific to your paddock. So there
S2: may be an area where 50% of the yield is
S2: really high. And you think, I don't need a blanket
S2: approach and blanket spray this entire paddock. I only need
S2: to focus my efforts on the 20% or the 25%
S2: that really requires it, and we might just back that
S2: off on the other. So at the end of the day,
S2: it's about saving a lot of chemical and just being
S2: a bit more targeted in your approach.
S3: So are you talking ndVi maps, Adam, or are you
S3: talking ndVi and other maps to determine how you're going
S3: to treat those different areas in the paddock?
S2: It can be a combination of both, really. A boundary
S2: map essentially is just mapping the perimeter of the boundary
S2: to create a geo zone for the larger drone to
S2: stay within its limits. Variable rate application can use ndVi data,
S2: which can be captured on the smaller drone as well.
S2: And that's the benefit. So one drone can do all
S2: of these things that we're talking about. And then it's
S2: just essentially plugged in and uploaded into the larger drone
S2: to go out and apply whether it's spray or spread.
S3: If I was to say, yep, I want to map
S3: my whole farm. Adam, how long can these drones go
S3: before they need to go back and charge? Do they charge?
S2: They do. So they're all battery. And the smaller drones.
S2: The enterprise series can fly around 45 minutes and they
S2: cover quite a bit of area, particularly if you're at
S2: an elevation of around 100 or 120m, quite an area
S2: it can cover in a short amount of time.
S3: They go 45 minutes and then they come back to
S3: their docking station. Do I have to be there?
S2: You don't have to be. Depending on the type of
S2: drone you got, there's new ones coming out all the time.
S2: But essentially, yeah, the pilot would send it up, they
S2: would stay there because you're supposed to maintain line of sight,
S2: and they would stay there for the duration of the flight.
S3: I see. So these aren't autonomous drones. They're being flown.
S2: Particular ones we're talking about are, but there are products
S2: that have just been brought out that are docking stations
S2: that are automated flight. But we'll get into that a
S2: bit later.
S3: Cool. That sounds good because I mean, if I don't
S3: have to be there, I'm happy. So they've got a
S3: 50 litre tank, these big ones. Um, what kind of
S3: spraying are they doing? Are you using these to spray
S3: the paddock, or are you using these to sort of
S3: be more like, you know, going to go check paddocks
S3: and you're going to check that one for what I
S3: would like is for a drone to go, well, I've
S3: got to check these paddocks, I've got a bit of
S3: spraying to do. Can you check and see how many
S3: weeds there are? Can you check and see if any
S3: of the paddocks are, if they're a bit poor in
S3: some of the areas, whether they need a bit more
S3: nitrogen or something like that, can you check and see
S3: if there's any disease, and can you tell me is
S3: there any insects or something? And then can you report
S3: back to me? Because I'm pretty busy and this is
S3: what I'm paying you for. Drone. Can they do that?
S2: Essentially, yeah, there's a few different offerings at the moment,
S2: and it largely depends on the software that goes on
S2: the back end behind the scenes that you don't often see.
S2: And that's where we'd encourage everyone just to come in
S2: or pick up the phone and have a chat before
S2: you go in to make a purchase, just to make
S2: sure that you're across it. Because, yeah, as you know,
S2: the space is evolving so quickly and there are always
S2: different offerings on the market. So some of the softwares
S2: can be quite expensive too. So again, we just want
S2: to make sure that you're getting exactly what you've asked for.
S2: So if you wanted to go and pick a specific
S2: weed out, there are probably better software products than others,
S2: depending on the weed that you're trying to determine.
S3: Okay, so you could use algorithms to search out depending on,
S3: but that's a product that you would put on that drone.
S2: Correct. So there are some aftermarket products. So typically we
S2: would go and fly the paddock or the farmer might
S2: fly the paddock. And there are other options. So if
S2: you didn't want to necessarily spend the thousands of dollars
S2: for a software program to do that because it might
S2: be a once off, that's something you might just send
S2: to us and say, hey guys, can you analyze it
S2: for me? I don't have time. We can do that.
S2: If it is a regular occurrence, we'd probably suggest you
S2: start to look at it in-house just to save on costs.
S2: But there are programs that you can send online as well,
S2: so you can send them away for analysis. Go about
S2: your normal job and by the end of the day
S2: or early the next morning, the results should be there
S2: for you.
S3: That sounds good. So I could say, could I say
S3: check for all of those things? Is there an app
S3: or a plugin or software that would check for each
S3: of those things? And then. Because that's what I was thinking.
S3: It'd be really cool if not only do I not
S3: have to check the paddocks, I'd like them to be autonomous.
S3: And then they tell me all these things and but
S3: I don't want to have to go back and look
S3: at all these maps myself. They want I want something
S3: that's going to synthesize it for me and say, these
S3: are our recommendations. So can it do that? And within
S3: the day it could.
S2: Yes it could. And I suppose not to throw a
S2: spanner in the works, but probably something just to consider
S2: is also depending on what you're trying to analyze. So
S2: some people may want to perform a stand count for
S2: example on a really small germination. Obviously at 120m that's
S2: a long way up. So you just want to make
S2: sure that whatever height we're flying at can capture all
S2: the things that you're talking about. So it's not always
S2: a one size fits all. But generally speaking, there's a
S2: lot of data that can be captured and managed in
S2: one flight.
S3: Might take more than one pass. Is what you're saying?
S2: Not more than one pass, but you can fly a
S2: bit slower, a bit more high resolution. So the more
S2: we can zoom in and and capture imagery and the
S2: greater the GSD, which is ground sampling distance. So every
S2: pixel of a photo represents a distance on the ground.
S2: So the the lower and slower you fly the more
S2: high resolution you get.
S3: So if I had 150 hectare paddock Adam, how long
S3: would it take the drone operator to survey that paddock?
S3: For all the things that I mentioned.
S2: As a rule of thumb, I would say around an
S2: hour and a half to give you a rough time frame.
S2: The good thing about the drone is we can determine
S2: all of this before we even get to your place.
S2: Or the drone operator can, the farmer can. So you
S2: can actually plug this into your controller, sitting it in
S2: the comfort of your house and do a quick map
S2: and say, here's the area that I want to fly.
S2: It will come out with the amount of photos. The
S2: duration where you're going to take off from all the
S2: information is in the palm of your hand, so you'll
S2: know ahead of time, which is also good for quoting purposes,
S2: because you've got an accurate data set that you're going
S2: to use. You're not just having a guess, it'll tell
S2: you ahead of time.
S3: Okay, but you or I still have to fly the drone. Correct? Okay.
S3: So the 50 liter tank, is that going to do
S3: optical spraying for me? Because I don't feel like 50l
S3: is a big tank. How does that work? Does it
S3: keep going back and filling up.
S2: Yes it does. So it's actually I slipped up before.
S2: It is a 40 liter tank but a 50 kilo spreader.
S2: So the hopper comes out when you spread and then
S2: when you spray the tank goes back in. So the
S2: T 50 has four nozzles on it as opposed to
S2: the old model which only had two. So it increases
S2: the liter per minute. But one thing farmers are finding
S2: is the application rates can be severely and drastically reduced
S2: using a drone, and a lot of agronomists are starting
S2: to get really familiar with drones and their application rates.
S2: So I think you'll find and hopefully over the next
S2: sort of 6 to 12 months, we'll have a label
S2: rate specifically for drones on a lot of the chemicals
S2: or applications that need to go out there, which will
S2: help everyone in the industry. Okay.
S3: And you're saying that's going to be less. Why is
S3: that going to be less? Adam.
S2: More efficient, greater coverage on the leaf as well. And
S2: if you ever see a drone go over, say for example,
S2: a corn crop, you'll see it really the rotors wash
S2: the foliage and it really penetrates very well and very efficiently.
S2: And there are other additives that can be added as
S2: well to make sure that it sticks on the leaf
S2: at a greater rate. It's just a bit of feedback
S2: we've had from farmers and agronomists that the rates can
S2: be dropped. But again, we always refer back to the
S2: agronomists as they know best.
S3: What kind of farms and in what kind of situations
S3: are farmers using these. The bigger drones for spraying or spreading?
S3: It's a good.
S2: Question. And look traditionally we started out by spraying blackberries
S2: more than anything, just on really hilly country. People weren't
S2: wanting to walk in snake infested areas or they'd be
S2: really jagged rocks. It was just really undulating terrain and
S2: they said, we don't want a bar of it. We
S2: need to use a drone to get in there. So
S2: a lot of our flying early days was targeted, areas
S2: like that up on hills and inaccessible areas. But there's
S2: also a big push for getting on straight after a
S2: heavy rain or spreading anything where it's just too wet.
S2: We can't get on, uh, in Victoria. We've had quite
S2: a bit of rain lately, so we spray quite a
S2: few turf farms as well where they've got to be
S2: sprayed regularly, and it's just too wet to get on.
S2: They don't want tractor marks or any impact or compaction
S2: on the, on the turf. Essentially anywhere that's being sprayed
S2: currently can be used by a drone. Obviously, you've got
S2: to weigh up the pros and cons against, like you said,
S2: a 40 litre tank versus a 4000 litre boom sprayer.
S2: There's a bit of difference, but it can be quite
S2: efficient to take 3 or 4 drones out in one hit.
S2: As a contractor and blanket spray and just go with
S2: four different pilots and just move from paddock to paddock.
S2: If you scaled up to do so, which we are.
S3: That's really interesting. I didn't really think about using a
S3: number of them. What do you guys charge?
S2: So for just as an example, we're around the $40
S2: mark for a broad acre. I think we're doing canola
S2: next week and that's around that $40 mark per hectare.
S2: Again it's a bit of a where is it located.
S2: Is the access clear? Are there obstacles or is it
S2: truly broad acre and open? There's a few things that
S2: we factor in, but we tend to go out and
S2: map the property first for a small fee, depending on
S2: where it is. That just gives the client the choice
S2: ultimately to say, we can say, here it is, here's
S2: how long it's going to take us. We can present
S2: all the data in front of them, and then they
S2: can really see it, rather than just someone on the
S2: phone saying, yeah, I think it's going to be around
S2: about this. And then they come out and they say,
S2: oh no, it's this.
S3: Can drones crash into things? Say, if the operator wasn't concentrating?
S2: Absolutely. At the end of the day, the answer is yes.
S2: They've got a lot of safety features that are built
S2: in the obstacle avoidance. Almost every sensor you can picture
S2: is on a drone. The best way to put it
S2: is we compare it to driving a car. No one
S2: relies on lane assist to drive their car for them.
S2: If you're driving the car, you drive the car. Same
S2: with the drone. It's got every feature under the sun
S2: to help you avoid a crash, but if you haven't
S2: checked it, some of those settings are on. It might
S2: be as simple as toggling a switch to make sure
S2: they are on. If you do the right things, it's
S2: highly unlikely you will ever have an issue. We haven't
S2: to date, but again, it's just making sure you're thorough
S2: enough just to go through the checklist before you fly
S2: and you're good to go.
S3: Very cool. So what else can they do in the
S3: cropping space Adam? So you've talked about spreading, spraying, you
S3: talked about mapping. How do they do insects?
S2: So I would fly the multi-spectral drone which has a
S2: variety of different sensors on there. You can scale back
S2: the various vegetation indices to basically determine that there's an
S2: issue there. So it won't necessarily detect what type of
S2: infestation you've got or what issue there is. But from
S2: that vantage point being straight up above, you will see
S2: a drastic difference in one area of the crop compared
S2: to another. And again, using the multi-spectral sensors, you'll be
S2: able to see it ahead of time. So things you
S2: might miss if you're on the ground looking with your
S2: naked eye. The sensors will be able to pick them up.
S2: It's just about trying to be a bit more proactive
S2: and manage an outbreak or an issue before it becomes
S2: a real prominent issue.
S3: So is that the same technology for disease then? Yes. Okay.
S3: So what else? Is there anything else that I've missed
S3: in terms of cropping?
S2: There is stand count. There's plant figure, chlorophyll content, biomass measurement.
S2: All these things can be done. Some will use different
S2: sensors than others, but essentially the software that plugs in
S2: behind the scenes as well is what will then go
S2: and run the analysis. And that is ever changing. We're
S2: currently talking with a pineapple grower that's measuring their stand
S2: count and flower count. So as an example, they've got
S2: quite an area of plantation that is measured by just
S2: ground passes. So they will drive past and see that
S2: there's a percentage of the field flowering at any given time,
S2: and one of the tools they're using it for is
S2: to assess production and yield. So their yield counts are
S2: way out because of some of the weather conditions that
S2: they've had and weather events they've had. So by getting
S2: up over the top of it and giving them a
S2: real understanding of exactly what the stand count is, one
S2: area I probably haven't touched on enough is the biomass
S2: measurements and the vegetation indexes that can be derived. So
S2: one of the best things about LiDAR technology, which we
S2: use in the enterprise series drones, is we can lift
S2: all of the vegetation off the land as well to
S2: create contour lines to develop flow patterns. So if you
S2: have a heavy downpour on the farm or where you
S2: want to potentially build a dam or some sort of
S2: infrastructure around it, some of these drones can again lift
S2: the densest of vegetation up and give you a really
S2: accurate terrain model of your property. Again, just by flying
S2: a farm, you'd be amazed at what can be captured
S2: if you were to do just one pass with the
S2: 3D flyover. People using it for insurance purposes as a
S2: bit of a timestamp on how their property looks at
S2: any given time, so they can then go through for
S2: insurance claims. There's all these sort of things that have
S2: been tabled by various farmers and said, oh, what if
S2: we do this? What if we do that? And it's
S2: all encompassing. So it's just the more data you can collect,
S2: the more informed decision making power you're going to have.
S3: I think what makes these things stand apart is what
S3: I'm hearing is that they're not actually just collecting more data,
S3: as you say. They're synthesising it, which I think is
S3: really important because there's a lot of data capturing going on,
S3: but it's actually being able to to pull all those
S3: figures together and help farmers to make a decision, isn't it?
S2: 100%, absolutely.
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S3: Are they transported on the back of a trailer?
S2: We've got trailers that we use. We've got yurts. Tool boxes.
S2: They fit in the back of a ute if you
S2: did want to do that. But if you're spraying hundreds
S2: and hundreds of hectares in a day, then you need
S2: quite a bit of water supply. Your chemical mixer, your
S2: batch mixer, things like that. And obviously making sure that
S2: you've got the system to be able to power up
S2: your batteries all day long.
S3: Yeah, that's a good point. So you need the generators
S3: as well to to power those. So the other thing
S3: that I was interested in was can you use these
S3: for seeding. And how do you do that.
S2: Yes you can. So the Agri series does have a
S2: spreader and a hopper on there. So again 50 kilos
S2: of seeds. There are just two opposing discs that spread
S2: out Oppose each other. Spread the seed quite uniformly across
S2: a certain area. So typically most people will go and
S2: plow their field. Go and spray. And then they would
S2: just irrigate following that event. I have heard and seen
S2: some other drones overseas that almost fire the seeds into
S2: the ground in a little enclosure, and they sort of
S2: they're like an arrow shape. I've seen them.
S3: That was the one that I saw where it was. Yeah.
S3: Firing them into the ground. And I was had all
S3: these questions. I was thinking, how do they know how
S3: deep they're going and how do they know, like the
S3: seeding rate. And I just was I thought that was
S3: really interesting. So that's something that's perhaps around the corner.
S3: Another thing that I was thinking about is fire. Are
S3: drones being used to fight fires.
S2: I have seen cases where they're used commercially, not so much.
S2: I would say agriculture, just because of the size and
S2: the scale of it. We have had some experience in
S2: helping to prepare fire management plans by assessing what sort
S2: of foliage is there currently on a site. So where
S2: to put fire breaks, things of that nature. So we
S2: will go and conduct a lidar flight, which is a
S2: different type of flight, but essentially it's where we can
S2: measure the biomass of an area. We can highlight areas
S2: that may be of concern because there might be higher
S2: or more dense ladder fuel type systems in place, and
S2: then as it gets more sparse or canopy heights differ
S2: and become lower, they may be less of an issue.
S2: LiDAR is a phenomenal tool. A bit more of a
S2: commercial application, but we're using it more and more in agriculture.
S2: What
S3: What is LIDAR?
S2: Lidar is a laser point system. So basically no different
S2: than your laser tape measure that people have at home.
S2: It's millions and millions of laser measurements that are shot
S2: out from the drone in any given direction, and then
S2: all stitched together to make a model. But the benefit
S2: of lidar is because it can penetrate vegetation. So it
S2: has five points of return. So basically we can fly
S2: over a large area using lidar, and it will just
S2: basically spray the area with millions and millions of measurements
S2: and points that can then be stitched back together to
S2: create a 3D render or a 3D model.
S3: Now, one other question that I had regarding the seating
S3: was I'd love to be able to plant trees, drop
S3: trees and vegetation. Go. I want a shelter belt there.
S3: How effective is it to do that?
S2: Great question. It's not something we've tackled before. I'd be
S2: very interested to see how we could do that. I
S2: would say the spreading system, if it was a tree
S2: of decent size, that would be an interesting one because
S2: the spreading couldn't do it. But I dare say there's
S2: a way that we could incorporate drones into the workflow
S2: in some way, shape or form.
S3: So if I was going to think about getting a drone, Adam,
S3: I'd want to know, what's the return on my investment?
S3: Can you do you have any statistics on that?
S2: Not off the top of my head. I dare say
S2: you would compare it to obviously traditional methodology versus if
S2: I adopted a drone. So one would be labor costs.
S2: Labor component is obviously always a big one. One drone
S2: per pilot is something to consider. Versus depends how many
S2: people you need for this other role. I suppose the
S2: other thing to consider is people that have bought drones
S2: in the past have bought them for one specific purpose,
S2: and then once they've got more confident in the capability
S2: of their drone, they've realised, oh, I can actually also
S2: do it for this application. I've got quite a big
S2: area to manage myself. It might be a thousand acres
S2: or a thousand hectares. We've got cases of farmers just
S2: going to check troughs, flying it out to go and
S2: check if gates have been left open or find some
S2: cattle or livestock. So that's quite a basic operation for
S2: a drone. But then they've also doubled up and said, oh,
S2: the same drone can also give me a variable rate
S2: application over here that I want to achieve.
S3: Would that be your recommendation to start with one?
S2: I would always go and start with the smaller mapping
S2: style drone first. Just get your legs, understand what the
S2: process is about. If you are considering doing it for
S2: a commercial purpose, you will need a licence, which is
S2: still relatively straightforward. It's called a ripple, which is it
S2: allows you to fly up to a 25 kilo weight,
S2: and that takes generally about five days to achieve. And
S2: then you can work on someone else's Rioch, which is
S2: the company business licence. But what you need to know is,
S2: if you're interested in flying a drone on a property
S2: that's not yours, you're going to be up for a
S2: license that takes around five days to get.
S3: So I don't need a license if I'm flying my
S3: own drone on my own property.
S2: Correct. But if it's over 25 kilo, you will.
S3: Where are drones most being used in Australia and what industries?
S2: I would say it's around the land topography as well.
S2: So particularly areas that aren't probably broadacre just yet. A
S2: lot of people are starting to use fixed wing drones,
S2: which can fly a lot further, but that's a bit
S2: of a slower adoption than what we're talking about now,
S2: which is multi-rotor drones, the traditional drones that you see
S2: with propellers. So I would say areas that are quite
S2: heavily prone to being wet, quite often rocky. And in
S2: terms of areas, I would say it really varies from
S2: cropping to cattle. Lots of sheep. It's not a specific industry.
S2: I'd say it's probably more the geographical location of the place.
S3: I was really interested when you said the flat winged
S3: drones because, oh, there's a different type. What are they about, Adam?
S2: So they're called fixed wing. Essentially they take off vertically
S2: and then they're like a little model airplane. They're quite lightweight,
S2: but they can't hover like a traditional drone can. They
S2: have to be moving forward. So they are very good
S2: for larger applications and broadacre. There are other licenses that
S2: you can get as well where you don't have to
S2: be just visual line of sight. You can fly beyond that.
S2: That's handy for broad acre applications where you can cover
S2: great distances very quickly.
S3: Okay, so are they bigger?
S2: They're slightly bigger. They're actually quite light. A few of them,
S2: they're just a different technology. But similar sensors can be
S2: attached to those as well.
S3: So the Multi-rotor drones we talked about the little drones
S3: and their battery life. What's the battery life of the
S3: bigger ones?
S2: They spray anywhere from around 10 to 15 minute duration,
S2: and they take about 10 to 12 minutes to recharge.
S2: So it's almost a like for like swap out. So
S2: once it's empty with its payload, it comes back in,
S2: you swap the battery and you're up in the air
S2: again within a matter of maybe a minute and a half.
S3: In terms so you're talking about Licenses? What are some
S3: of the things that you aren't allowed to do? So
S3: what were the what are some of the things that
S3: they'll be teaching you in the license?
S2: So you'll learn straight away? Obviously, the ultimate authority in
S2: Australia is Casa, the civil aviation safety authority for first
S2: time users. You'll go through this five day licence and
S2: they'll educate you largely around aeronautics and some of the
S2: things you've got to know as a pilot. But then
S2: more specifically, I guess at the end of the day,
S2: it's just about making sure your records are up to date,
S2: that your drone is in good shape before you operate it,
S2: that you are operating visual line of sight, which means
S2: you have to be able to determine the orientation of
S2: your drone at all times. So if you lose sight
S2: of your drone, not good. You've got to make sure
S2: you can see it. One pilot per drone. So one
S2: operator can't take five drones and fly them all at once.
S2: It's 1 to 1 ratio. And then probably the most
S2: important one is the 30 metre rule. So in agriculture
S2: it's great because you tend to not be near anyone.
S2: But if you were in a built up area, you
S2: are supposed to maintain a 30 metre clearance from any personnel.
S4: Do.
S3: Drones ever go rogue and just fly up into the
S3: air and you can't see them anymore?
S2: Wouldn't go rogue unless they've been programmed to do so.
S2: So again, that's that pre-check that I was talking about.
S2: Drones have a lot of safety features. What if the
S2: signal cut out when I was flying my drone? What happens?
S2: There are settings that you can select. One might be
S2: return to home. So it will come back. The minute
S2: it loses signal, it will fly exactly back to where
S2: it started. But some people might have it on hover
S2: where it just sits there. If you don't get the
S2: signal back, it will sit there forever until it runs
S2: out of battery. So again.
S3: That's from the sky.
S2: Then it would eventually, if that's the situation it was in.
S3: So if I don't need a license on my farm,
S3: how am I going to keep myself and everybody else safe?
S2: I would say there's probably two things. One, think about
S2: your flight before you're going to do it. So if
S2: you know you're going somewhere where there are transmission towers
S2: or power lines, just be wary. I wouldn't chance it,
S2: I never would. Infrastructure costs a lot, so avoid it
S2: as best you can and then just stay clear of
S2: any built up areas. So if there was a common
S2: area that people are sort of loitering at, I would
S2: avoid that altogether. Just go have a bit of a
S2: joy flight in an open area. Get the feel for it.
S2: The drones nowadays are very good and pretty easy to fly.
S2: I think in your tests you will be asked to
S2: fly in attitude mode, which basically takes off a lot
S2: of the guidance for you. So if there's a high wind,
S2: the drone will drift with the wind to make sure
S2: that you're skilled enough as a pilot to go and
S2: then refly it and drop it down. So once it's
S2: in an automatic sort of mode, it will sit there
S2: and hover in some pretty high winds. So they are
S2: very versatile units. So it's getting away from and I
S2: think getting the mentality of these aren't toys anymore. These
S2: are real pieces of equipment and machinery, especially in AG
S2: and the enterprise sector. When you're paying north of 5000
S2: for a small drone, it's not a toy, so you
S2: don't want to chance it. Okay.
S3: And so you talked about power lines and not being
S3: able to chance it. Would you as a contractor, if
S3: someone had a transmission line in their paddock, would you
S3: just say, we're not doing that paddock. Or would you
S3: just stay well clear of it?
S2: No, we would still tackle the paddock. There's just different
S2: measures you can take. So obviously depending on the height,
S2: you may choose to fly under it again. If they
S2: are around maybe five metres off the ground and we
S2: fly at three, that would be too close for us.
S2: But we can then split up the paddock on the
S2: controller and have north and south of the paddock, and
S2: there might just be a small line under the power
S2: line that you don't target. But the swath on a
S2: drone at about three metres off the crop height can
S2: reach 8 to 10m wide. So if you do it
S2: well enough and again, our pilots do it day in,
S2: day out, they will know what they can and can't achieve,
S2: and normally it hasn't been an issue for us. However,
S2: part of your JSA before you start, which we will
S2: probably touch on later in in the conversation, but we
S2: do a lot of preparation ahead of time so we
S2: can map out all of those obstacles, which is hence
S2: why we tend to map our jobs. First, send the
S2: little one up, do its thing, mark out obstacles, and
S2: we'll just sit there and have a bit of a
S2: toolbox ahead of the job, and then we go out
S2: and spray.
S3: What about noise pollution? Adam, how loud are they?
S2: Some of the larger scale. The aggregates do have a
S2: bit of noise, but to be perfectly honest, it hasn't
S2: been an issue for us. We always wear PPE and
S2: have earmuffs and radios to communicate with one another anyway.
S2: But the benefit of drones, and something I didn't really
S2: mention before was the chemicals being taken away from you.
S2: So it's being applied at a long distance away from
S2: where you're set up. Whereas opposed to when you're on
S2: a sprayer, you're right amongst what you're spraying. So that's
S2: another safety aspect of a spraying drone, is we're taking
S2: the chemical hundreds of meters away from you, and you're
S2: applying it at a distance, and then it's coming back
S2: when it's empty. So we probably park the drones maybe ten,
S2: 15m away from us when we're operating, wait for it
S2: to shut down, power down, get a battery, go over,
S2: fill it up, salt the battery, and away it goes again.
S2: So it hasn't been an issue for us. If you're
S2: doing maybe more of a commercial or, you know, potentially
S2: work for councils where you're around people, things of that nature,
S2: you'd want to be just wary of it. And there
S2: are times of the day that are better suited to
S2: operating than others.
S3: So what are some of the current challenges that farmers
S3: are facing using a drone?
S2: I would say one of the biggest challenges and hurdles
S2: is the fear of change. People are less likely to
S2: adopt something if no one else around them is doing it.
S2: Being the first one at it is always a bit
S2: of a hurdle and a bit of a risk to overcome.
S2: The technology now has been around for quite a number
S2: of years and it's getting more and more affordable as well.
S2: So even as recent as 2 or 3 years ago,
S2: some of this technology was over twice the price of
S2: what it is now. So I think it's a bit
S2: of a combination between the manufacturer also listening to the
S2: end user and just having a bit of time between
S2: to really get together. And obviously a lot of the
S2: feedbacks came back and forth. So early days it was
S2: maybe the price is too high or it's not viable
S2: for my business. DJI have obviously listened to that. They're
S2: creating different product lines and different services and different packages
S2: and different offerings to be able to support the farmer.
S2: So for someone to go completely uneducated, never have flown
S2: a drone within the space of a few weeks, can
S2: have their drone license their business up and running. My
S2: only advice to anyone doing that would just be to
S2: just be a little bit patient. There is a lot
S2: to learn. We're still learning every day, and just be
S2: open to suggestions and getting as much feedback from people
S2: as you can that are in the industry already doing it,
S2: because it'll save you a lot of headaches, a lot
S2: of time.
S3: Good advice Adam. I think now moving into livestock, can
S3: you tell me how drones are being used by farmers
S3: with livestock?
S2: Quite a number of our clients have actually purchased thermal drones,
S2: because they want to go and count some of their
S2: stock as well at any time of day or night.
S2: So they will then fly them up. And obviously some
S2: of the technology as well that's coming in. As you
S2: probably have seen, a lot of the cattle now have
S2: markings on their ears or little chips inserted. So again
S2: that's got other benefits to it. So if they go
S2: up to a trough there's certain apparatus now that can weigh.
S2: See how much the calves drank. See what it's eaten
S2: that day. And drones are almost the overview where they
S2: can go and scan the entire premises and basically collate
S2: all that data in a uniform fashion. Other than that,
S2: it's very similar to the cropping where you can still
S2: again spread map spray. All those applications are still relevant
S2: in livestock.
S3: So could they deliver feed?
S2: They could. I haven't seen it done in Australia personally
S2: just yet. There are drones that can carry quite a
S2: bit of weight and they're more for transporting. But I
S2: think traditionally farmers, particularly here in Victoria, have already got
S2: all the infrastructure that they need to be able to
S2: do it on a larger scale. So I think the
S2: weight is always going to be that issue with the
S2: drones that we've got currently, where they're not going to
S2: be able to transport, I would say more than 100
S2: kilos or something like that.
S3: Okay. So going back to your first story and how
S3: you were inspired. Can you tell me how were they
S3: using drones to increase fertility?
S2: So they had there was a lot of hilly area
S2: that was just basically unused. And it wasn't a broad
S2: acre sense. This was quite a small property, a few
S2: hundred hectare, but there was just very dense scrub and
S2: lantana and I just needed a real good clean up,
S2: but there was no real way of accessing it. It
S2: was so thick and dense, this this scrub that was
S2: around this place. Again, it was either wait for a helicopter,
S2: but they didn't want some of the vegetation killed, so
S2: they didn't want the chopper coming in and just bombing everything.
S2: They wanted to be a lot more specific and targeted
S2: in their approach. And that's where the drone came in
S2: is okay. I can actually hover right over exactly what
S2: I want to spray, apply the chemical. But I don't
S2: necessarily want to kill all this. Some of the wattles
S2: and different trees that are around the place.
S3: So what about in terms of research. So I know
S3: BCG has got some nice drones. How are we using
S3: them in research and how are they being used in
S3: research in general.
S2: Yes. So Burchett has purchased the Mavic three multi-spectral that
S2: I mentioned before basically for their trial plots. So using
S2: those different vegetation indices to peel back and analyze specific
S2: crops that they're planting, there is also a pix 4D license,
S2: which is one type of software that we offer so
S2: it can go through and determine plant vigor. It can
S2: do some stand counts, things like that. And you also
S2: did purchase a T25, which is the T25. So a
S2: smaller version of the drone I was talking about before.
S2: So 25 liter tank, essentially all the other features are
S2: quite similar. So smaller scale spreading, but again a very
S2: versatile and nimble drone. So there is just on that.
S2: There is another product. It's called the dock two. So
S2: it's essentially a drone in a box and it is automated,
S2: but it's only just been released. So it will basically
S2: open up at a predetermined time, do its map and
S2: come back and park up, close up for the night.
S2: And people are sending them out every day to collect data.
S2: It's in a weatherproof station that sits outside a shed.
S2: As long as it's got internet and power, you can
S2: then plan flights at any time of the day so
S2: it will open up. It's got its own little weather
S2: station inbuilt, so if it is too windy it won't
S2: take off. So there are some safety measures in place
S2: as well.
S3: How do they fit into the licensing regulations, then that's
S3: a good question.
S2: And that's one that's involved. So that is beyond visual
S2: line of sight. So that's another separate license that you need.
S3: And how reliable are they Adam. Because my robot vacuum
S3: cleaner isn't very reliable.
S2: No I would trust this. Absolutely.
S3: That is good. I'm pleased that you've said that. What
S3: about irrigation? Can they irrigate crops?
S2: They can. That model can spray crops depending on what
S2: you're spraying it with. If it's just water, anything that
S2: can come out of a nozzle, essentially it can do.
S2: I haven't heard of them just spraying water only, but
S2: I'm sure it could do it.
S3: Okay. What is the lifespan of a drone, particularly the
S3: big ones? If I'm going to buy a big one? Adam,
S3: I want it to last a while.
S2: That's a good question. They've got a couple of years warranty,
S2: but ultimately I've never seen one perish yet because they
S2: probably haven't been out long enough. So I would say
S2: you'd want to get at least ten years out of
S2: one of these bigger drones. But yeah, the warranty is
S2: quite comprehensive as well. But batteries go off life cycles,
S2: so they tend to be I think it's 1500 cycles
S2: off the top of my head before they become unserviceable.
S2: They'll still work, but highly recommended to replace them. But
S2: the general wear and tear and maintenance of these drones,
S2: they're all quite modular, so they're relatively easy to get
S2: parts for their plug and play a lot of the time.
S3: Do you find they break down a bit?
S2: No. I think the most common item we have go
S2: is propellers. And sometimes that's clients taking them off from
S2: potentially rocky areas or gravel roads where stones flick up
S2: once the rotors start up. That tends to be one
S2: of the first things that shows signs of wear. So
S2: we either use a mat, a landing pad, or we
S2: will fly them off the paddock deck where it's just
S2: got some grass or something around it, but they are
S2: pretty reliable and durable. Normally consumables washes a couple of
S2: little bits and pieces, but no, they are pretty robust.
S3: Okay, Adam, so once you leave and the next day
S3: I'm trying to fly it and having some trouble, is
S3: there support available?
S2: Absolutely. We definitely won't leave you high and dry or
S2: drop it at your doorstep. We'll be there to walk
S2: you through it and hold your hand every step of
S2: the way.
S3: And is that included in the cost of the drone? Yes. Yeah. Okay.
S3: Was there anything else, Adam, that you thought our listeners
S3: might be interested in?
S2: One thing to probably mention is a lot of the
S2: questions that you're probably feeling. If you are a first
S2: time listener, you want to reach out. And we spoke
S2: earlier about people potentially being a bit timid and not
S2: wanting to ask those questions. You do need to, and
S2: it's the easiest way to get ahead of it and
S2: leapfrog you forward six months down your journey. Because a
S2: lot of people have the same issues. We get asked
S2: a lot of the same questions, so there is no
S2: stupid question. I still ask them all the time myself.
S2: So yeah, just don't feel too precious about it. Come
S2: see us, give us a call, have a chat, talk
S2: to anyone else that's in the industry as well. Get
S2: some really valuable advice. And we've actually just released a
S2: YouTube channel a few months ago, and we've got some
S2: user friendly content on there that people have been asking for.
S3: Like a helpful YouTube channel. So that's that's one we
S3: might put in the show notes. Speaking of advice, that
S3: might be a nice segue. Adam. What is the best
S3: advice that you've been given in life or in business.
S2: I love these ones because I could talk for hours,
S2: but as funny as it is, the simplest piece of
S2: advice I ever got given was just be good to people.
S2: And I know that sounds really basic, but it just
S2: makes so much sense and not doing it because you're
S2: told to do it, but do it because you want
S2: to do it and approach life like that. And it's
S2: something I instill in my kids quite a bit. Manners
S2: cost nothing. Just be good to people in general if
S2: they've got an issue and you can help them, help them.
S2: Whether that's walking down the street and opening the door
S2: for someone. Just do right by people and things work
S2: out pretty well in the end. If you're what goes
S2: around does come around.
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