Drones might be flying into the farming sector, but where exactly can you find a qualified pilot with the right gear?

One place that could be worth checking out is the Drone Agency. It’s a matchmaking hub for drone pilots with various skills and equipment – a mix of one-man-bands and bigger companies.

The idea is that farmers can give the company a call and explain what service they’re after – whether it’s aerial snapshots, weed analysis or data crunching. You can also give a rough idea of what you want it to cost.

See also: Could drones work on your farm?

The Drone Agency then trawls its list of operators for the best candidate. The competitive nature of the system should mean you get a better deal – prices can range from £400/day for basic pictures to £1,800/day for more complex data.

The company is based in Andover, Hampshire, and currently has 300 active operators across the country. Many of these also work in cinematography and surveying, but precision agriculture is the quickest growing sector. Investment in new camera and sensor equipment makes it particularly suitable to agronomy services and field monitoring.