As most of you have probably heard or read in the newspaper, the CREC will be the host site for a first-of-its-kind project this summer.

North Dakota State University has partnered with the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota to conduct a proof-of-concept project that will evaluate the usefulness of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) systems in precision agriculture. The CREC is located within the Northern Plains Unmanned Aerial Systems Test Site which required approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The project is being led by John Nowatzki of NDSU’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

Photo courtesy: www.dragonfly.com. This is an example of the UAS system we will use this summer at the CREC. 

Though it is unclear as to the exact quality of data that will be collected, previous work in UAS has produced extremely useful results in regards to applying crop scouting techniques from the air. The CREC has provided the project a very unique opportunity as we evaluate many different types of crops and crop management techniques throughout the growing season, as well as provide an area for evaluating the UAS in livestock management. Some examples of information that we hope to collect will be plant populations, weed infestations, crop diseases, and many other factors that influence a producers management decisions throughout the year.  Though it is currently a one year project we hope to extend the evaluation of UAS here at the CREC in to the future.

Stay tuned for upcoming events that will demonstrate the use of the UAS aircraft and highlight the specific areas of agriculture we will be able to look at. For more information please contact the CREC at (701) 652-2951 or email Justin Berg, Agronomy Research Specialist, at justin.t.berg@ndsu.edu.