Farm & Ranch
Drone use in agriculture
By Lindsay Allen
It’s hard to talk about the future of agriculture without talking about technology. As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones as they are more commonly referred to, continue to gain popularity and capability, those in the cattle business have the opportunity to use this technology to their advantage.
The U.S.-based Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicts that agricultural uses will eventually account for 80 percent of the commercial market for drones. The numerous uses of drones in agriculture allow farmers and ranchers to make better management decisions and increase productivity.
“Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drone technology, is in its infancy, so new uses are only as limited as one’s imagination. For beef producers, examples could include counting cattle, watching herding habits, checking on fences and for rustlers, locating and identifying weeds to be sprayed, monitoring calving and heat synchronization, checking for sick animals and feed intake, scouting rough terrain areas inaccessible by vehicles, and biosecurity,” according to Bob Schultheis, natural resource engineering specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
Drones really can be used in all areas of the industry. Take for instance Penny Bowie, owner of Omni Advertising and Graphics Inc. of Newnan, Georgia, who purchased a drone that is used in her cattle advertising and her real estate sales with The Auction Way Company.
To read more pick up a copy of the January 2017 NTFR issue.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Wyoming
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Montana
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch….
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Spring has sprung and hopefully the rains will continue where our country will heal from the previous droughts and our grasses will thrive. We are especially hopeful for the Panhandle of Texas where our neighbors and friends have been dealt a deadly blow to homes, ranges, livestock, and people. Keep them in your prayers as they will not be able to return to normal for many years if at all. Having lost their ability to benefit from this great cattle market is a double whammy for all of them.
Now is the time of year when we need to take care of business as it relates to our new calves that have been hitting the ground this spring. First and foremost is vaccinating for Blackleg followed by deworming with a white wormer and the IBR complex. Blackleg is a soil-born disease and with pastures extremely short this spring our calves have been grazing the green grass as soon as it shows itself, making them even more vulnerable to picking contaminates from the soil.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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