Posted on 06/22/2015 6:52:54 PM PDT by Jan_Sobieski
FRESNO (CBS/AP) — A drone large enough to carry tanks of fertilizers and pesticides has won rare approval from federal authorities to spray crops in the United States.
Steve Markofski of Yamaha Corp. U.S.A. said Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval is a first. He says drones are already used to take pictures to help farmers identify unhealthy patches of crops, but this is the first time they’ll be able to carry a payload.
Markofski says Yamaha’s 207-pound (94-kilogram) RMAX looks like a small helicopter and is remotely piloted. It received FAA approval Friday. Markofski says farmers in Japan and other countries have used the large drone for years.
University of California, Davis, professor Ken Giles says it’s best suited for precision spraying on California’s rolling vineyards and hard-to-reach places.
(Excerpt) Read more at sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com ...
Intellectual property. ;-)
sorry.... neurochemical ;-)
Check and check, but sorry.... neurochemical ;-)
That might arguably be attributed to some calcium ions running around in your brain.
LOL...
Great minds and all that.
My first thought was that this would mean less chemicals, as this method of application would mean more precise placement, and less doubling up.
That's what happened when Deere started using auto-steer on tillage equipment.
Less doubling up.
I detest spraying by airplane with a passion. Wrong wind direction, too much wind, too much altitude, poor piloting all add up to the spray going where not intended killing off trees and other unintended vegetation not to mention drifting off to someone allergic to whatever they are spraying. I recall one jerk pilot not shutting off the spray until after he crossed a road and started his U-Turn.
Couple days ago I watched some huge sprayer with large floatation tires and spray arms probably 20 - 30 feet long each. This guy could lower those arms just a few inches off the crop. He turned the spray on exactly when needed, shut it off exactly when it should be. Practically no over spray at all. This is OK.
save fuel by not flying a pilot around.
is there any downside?
“Swell. So for those of us who are chemically intolerant, more chemicals! Awesome…not!”
Probably result in LESS chemicals ...
Not “more” just a different and likely more efficient method of applying fertilizers and pesticides already being applied. Not a bad thing for those of us trying to feed a hungry world.
Obama’s qualifications.
Some of those applicators have GPS and computer control. The field is GPS mapped and the applicator tractor just drives over the field. Everything is computer controlled.
Toro just introduced one on a large ATV chassis for golf courses. Amazing to watch, turns off individual sprayers as the arm goes over sand traps.
This is a good thing. A lot of men have died dusting crops. It’s very dangerous.
Could be used to deliver sarin gas or crystals to spot locations.
And how long til some enterprising terrorist uses one of these babies on say a packed house for a double header at Yankee stadium?
“chemically intolerant, more chemicals!”
You may be intolerant, but you are not “chemically intolerant”. No such thing.
You sound like a total Luddite. Fear and Ignorance is no way to go through life.
Wow!
Is that like being a “Denier”?
If so, I am signing up.
One can become physically ill through the introduction of pesticides.
You too, my FRiend may be of supreme “intolerance” JMHO.
Not much longer than using a regular old aereoplane to the same thing. Really, if they want to hit us, they will. Nothing's going to stop them save removing them from our country.
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