Rotary wing UAS with attached sensor payload hovers over a field. Photo: Chad Dennis.

by Mark Aitken

AUVSI will be moderating a panel discussion titled “Agricultural Applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems” hosted by both the House and Senate Unmanned Systems Caucuses. The event will be held Wednesday, March 25 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. in the Capitol Visitor Center Congressional Auditorium.

 

The panel discussion will include panelists from the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and National Association of Independent Crop Consultants.

 

AUVSI’s economic report predicts UAS will have the greatest impact on the agriculture industry, adding over $75 billion to the economy by 2025. UAS allow farmers to use remote sensors for crop and livestock management to scan plants for health problems, record growth rates and hydration, locate disease outbreaks, and even more efficiently spray crops saving money and reducing environmental impacts.

 

This will be a great opportunity for AUVSI to better educate lawmakers and staff on one of the key markets that UAS will have an early impact on, once integration into the National Airspace System is achieved.