CHARLESTOWN, Ind. — It's a game changer for so many farmers, saving time and money.
Drones are boosting crop yields and easing the burdens on Kentucky and Indiana farmers like Terry Vissing.
"We like to fly it two or three, four times a year over the crops," Vissing said.
The Clark County farmer said he uses a drone to detect trouble spots across more than a thousand acres of corn and soybeans situated off Highway 62, outside Charlestown, Indiana.
It's an aerial view far clearer than a satellite image farmers are used to, with the ability to track every row, down to a specific plant, in real time.
"Recently with the downturn in agriculture, we have to be as efficient as we can," Vissing said.
Vissing said he has been a bit hesitant to fly his own drone, so he often enlists help from his local seed supplier.
"Farmers these days, in tough times, are using their resources a lot more than they used to, because they have to get by," Shawn Kiess, with Clark County Seed said.
Kiess plants himself on the edge of a corn field and sends the drone more than a thousand feet away.
"You'd be hard pressed to find a field that's just perfect. It just don't happen," Vissing said. "This year's been a real struggle. We've had over 20 inches of rain this summer."
It meant a late start for many farmers, some who had to plant their crop two and three times over just to get a good stand and even then, they might end up with a field full of weeds and corn stalks no higher than your ankle.
"The question now, is what are we going to do with this field? It's just basically going to be zeroed out. No profit here at all," Vissing said. "It's pretty demoralizing to go through all the work and effort and expense and then get nothing."
Ten years ago, Vissing didn't have the laser focus on these areas he has now.
"We'd get through the season, harvest it and see our yield was really low. With the drone technology, we can see over the top and do a rescue treatment," he said. "We may not always be able to correct those spots this year, but in the future, we can address those issues."
It does not stop there. In China, farmers are using drones to spot treat their crops with fertilizers and pesticides. Both Vissing and Kiess said that would bring miracles to the U.S. when that technology gets here.
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