Drones and Education

As the demand for food continues to increase, so does the importance of optimizing the use of our resources and ensuring maximum efficiency in agriculture. Drones have transformed the agricultural landscape in recent years, allowing farmers to precisely monitor and manage their crops from the skies. At u-pass, we believe that drone technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we produce food and sustainability. From mapping fields, monitoring crops, and now spraying crops with precision accuracy, drone technology provides us with valuable insights, data, and application to improve our farming practices.

How do I Get Started in the Ag Drone Industry Questions and Answers:
How old do I need to be to fly agricultuer drones?
As several Federal and state agencies are involved in using agriculture drones, the FAA requires a pilot with a 107 certification to be at least 14 years old.  On the other hand, the EPA mandates that a pilot must be 18 years of age or older to be present in the field when working with chemicals.

Where can I learn to fly agriculture drones?
Flying an agriculture drone will ultimately depend on what you want to accomplish.  Are you mapping fields, looking at field health, or applying chemicals to a field?
   Mapping - Typically, these are smaller drones that only require a 107 pilot license (Link) to register your drone on the FAA drone Zone (Link).  When purchasing these drones from your dealer, they will provide videos to assist in the learning process.
   Field health - To accomplish field health, you will need a mapping drone and the ability to import your maps into a program such as Agermo(Link), DroneDeploy (Link), or PIX4D (Link). All three are great programs, but depending on your goal as to what crop you are looking to give health reports, all three have their pros and cons.  Review their benefits and take advantage of their free demo and excellent sales team to ensure they will help with your crop analysis.
   Application - In the US, the two main competitors in the agriculture drone market are DJI and XAG. While there are smaller companies offering drone options, DJI and XAG have the majority of the market share between them. Both brands offer multiple models and gallon sizes. To choose the right drone for your needs, it's best to discuss your goals with your dealer. Depending on what you want to use the drone for, such as cover crops, specialty crops, orchards, vineyards, pellets, biologicals, or fertilizer, the size and carry capacity of the drone will vary. Keep in mind that the largest drone might not always be the best choice for certain crops, such as flowers. Once you have decided on a specific agriculture drone, your dealer should provide you with proper training. If they do not offer training, do not purchase from them. If you need help finding a reliable dealer that can help you get in the air safely, please get in touch with us.

Where can I buy an agriculture drone?
There are several options available for purchasing an agriculture drone such as Agrispray, Pegasus Robotics, HSE, Talos Drones, and Rocoza, which are considered some of the best. When buying a drone, it is essential to consider the support offered in the subsequent steps, such as videos, training, and parts. The location of the dealer can also play a part, but all these dealers provide overnight shipping. Make sure to explain your intentions and the crops you want to work with so that you buy the correct drone. It is not an impulse purchase, so be sure to conduct independent research before making a final decision.

What FAA licenses do I need to have?
If you intend to use your drone for agricultural purposes such as spraying herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, or any other controlled substance, then you must obtain a 137 license from the FAA. There are two categories for agriculture drones: over 55 and under 55. Over 55 category has a few additional requirements such as a 3rd Class Medical. The entire process of obtaining the license is explained here (Link) and contains detailed PDF and step-by-step instructions.

Do you need to have a state agriculture license to use a spray drone? 
It is crucial to note that each state has different regulations concerning who is authorized to spray controlled chemicals. To ensure compliance with the law, it is advisable to check with each state's Department of Agriculture and understand the qualifications and licenses required for spraying in your intended state of application.  As a U.PASS member you will have access to all 30 states we currently work with.

What else will be required of me to stay compliant when spraying?
There are the State compliance requirements and the Federal requirements.
After receiving your State license, you will need to keep your recurrent credits current, your state chemical reports current, your state license current, and any other compliance required by your state.  Federally, after receiving your 137, you must turn in your flights monthly digitally and keep your flight records for at least 12 months; your 107 has a recurring every two years, your Class 3 medical annually, your 137 current, your 8710 current when adding new drones, and keep your drone N# renewed.

How do I get insurance?
One common mistake regarding insurance is assuming that farm insurance will cover drone usage. However, this is not the case. Most farm insurance policies do not have an "aerial" rider, which means that once the drone leaves the ground, it is not covered under the existing insurance policy. For this reason, it is necessary to have a separate aerial policy to cover any damage or loss of the drone. In addition, the insurance policy should also cover any damage caused by the chemicals being sprayed. Herbicides bring an additional dimension of risk, and adding herbicide coverage to the policy will certainly increase expenses.