Growers considering investing in a drone to help them detect disease earlier and map variability have the chance to have a go at flying one at this year’s Cereals event.

The new Drone Demonstration Zone will show visitors how they can be used for crop management in arable businesses.  

“Drones have the potential to save time and labour, identify crop issues early and enable in-field efficiency through precision farming techniques,” says event director Jon Day. 

See also: 5 factors for farmers to consider when buying a drone to map fields

Using an “off the peg” pocket camera on a multirotor drone, visitors will be able to plan a flight and then view the resulting images. While they are accurate to 1sq m, they provide information down to 2cm, explains Keith Geary, director of AgHawk, the sponsor of the drone zone.

“With average flights now being able to map 30-50 acres, drones are a highly efficient and effective way of assessing a crop’s health, especially when compared with crop walking the same acreage.”

 To pre-register, grower can contact Mr Geary at keith@g2way.com and answer the following questions:

• Do you prefer a morning or afternoon session?
• Which day are you attending?
• Are you an agronomist or farmer?
• How many hectares do you look after?
• And finally, are already using precision farming techniques?