Drones 101 Workshop Takes Deep Dive Into the Basics at Tech Hub LIVE
September 16, 2024 
The XAG P100 Pro features the most reliable battery and pump on the market, says Nutrien’s Dustin Polasek.
Although they have been in use across agriculture since the early 2010s, drones are finally starting to see some widespread market penetration. In fact, according to statistics from the 2024 CropLife/Purdue University Precision Ag Adoption Survey, the percentage of ag retailers utilizing drones in their application work has grown from 14% in 2021 to 35% today. Over the next three years, the survey further predicts that more than half (51%) of ag retailers will be employing drones in their businesses to apply crop protection products in customer fields.
Given that the agricultural industry is seeing all this interest/activity in drones, it should come as no surprise that a special post-conference session on drones was added to the recent Tech Hub LIVE Conference in Des Moines, IA (held Wednesday, July 31, between 2 and 4:30 p.m.). This session took a deep dive into all the basics of drones’ usage and decision making. It featured speakers from drones manufacturers and ag retailers currently using such products in their operations.
Kicking off the Drones 101 workshop was Matthew Maus, UAS Advisor for HTS Ag – an ag tech equipment dealer based in Harlan, IA. Maus set the table for what attendees of the workshop could expect to find out regarding drones.
“We want to help companies develop a successful drones program,” he said. “There are some serious mistakes you can make if you are not informed.”
To accomplish this, Maus laid out to attendees that implementing a successful drones program should involve a five-step process. The first one – and perhaps the most important – is to determine why your company wants to get involved in drones application in the first place.
Step By Step
“Step One is knowing your purpose,” he said. “What are you using a drone for? What’s your reason for having one and how often will you fly it? If you are getting a drone just to have one, you aren’t doing anybody any good. Know what your plan is before buying a drone.”
Steps Two and Three involve seeking approval with your company peers to obtain a drone and being patient while setting things in motion to get a drones program up and running.
Step Four is writing procedures for using your drones and finding pilots to fly them. “We need to have well-written procedures/policies for operating the drones that include FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) definitions and guidelines included,” said Maus. “These should also include the role of boss of this program, insurance notes, and what to do in the event of a drones crash. Remember – it’s not if a drone you are using will crash, but when. How to handle this needs to be spelled out in advance.”
Finally, said Maus, the most important Step – No. 5 – involves training the pilots/operators of your drones fleet. “Train, train, and train some more,” he said. “When it comes to operating drones, you can never train enough!” This should be basic flight operations and purpose flight training, coupled with the federal Part 107 training, which is mandatory for all drone pilots/operators.
Needs & Regulations
Another speaker at the Drones 101 workshop was Dustin Polasek, Chief Pilot for Nutrien Ag Solutions. According to Polasek, Nutrien has been working with drones for more than five and a half years now and employs a fleet of 170 units across its 1,500-plus retail outlet network.
First up for ag retailers looking at drones, he said, is what needs they have for such equipment. “We run every brand of drone out there,” said Polasek. “Not all drones are created equal.”
As HTS’ Maus before him, Polasek told attendees there are five key considerations when purchasing a drone. “First is speed, followed by the volumes of product they can carry and pump flow,” he said. “If you need to apply five gallons of product per acre, there’s only one drone on the market today that can effectively apply that volume.”
The final two considerations when purchasing a drone tie together somewhat – size and maneuverability. “Is the drone you want the right size for what you plan to use it for?” said Polasek. “Remember – the bigger the drone, the less maneuverability it will have. Bigger drones can’t stop on a dime!”
Regulatory considerations should come next in the drones decision making process. Astonishingly, said Polasek, approximately 80% of the drones in operation today “are illegal” because their operators don’t adhere to federal guidelines. “Many of these operators don’t meet Part 137 or Part 107 requirements,” he said. “This means there are not legal to operate.”
Among the trio of current application drones on the market, Polasek has worked with all of them. He offered Drones 101 workshop attendees his views on each, citing pros and cons.
The first model is the Hylio Ag 272. This unit features Chinese-made parts and U.S. programming. Its payload capacity is 19.02 gallons – the largest on the market – and it can fly between 15 and 20 minutes when fully laden.
According to Polasek, the pros of the Hylio Ag 272 include its software and easy access to sprayer equipment. However, cons of the unit include its battery life and pump capacity.
The next application drone to consider is the DJI T50. Featuring Chinese made parts and programming, this unit has a 13.2-gallon payload capacity and can operate 10 to 20 minutes when fully laden. According to Polasek, the pros of the DJI T50 are its ease-of-use and the quality of its camera.
“Unfortunately, the cons of this unit include its batteries and some proposed regulations against the use of Chinese-made drones in certain incidences,”
he said.
The final application drone Polasek discussed was the XAG P100 Pro. Chinese made with Chinese programming, this unit features a 13.2-gallon payload capacity and 15 to 20 minutes of flight time when fully laden. Unlike the other two models on the market, Polasek says the XAG P100 Pro has “superior” batteries and pumps and is very easy to use in the field.
But, he adds, the two major cons against this unit are its connectivity and frequent required software updates. “I heard one horror story about a XAP P100 Pro user taking 20 hours to get the unit to ‘talk’ with his other equipment,” said Polasek. “And the update downloads for this drone are annoying, with weekly updates required. And if you don’t do the updates, the connectivity issues become even more troublesome.”
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