2015 Growing Season Video
Last year, I succumbed to all the rage and bought a drone... I decided to start with an entry level drone because I was not ready to spend loads of money on something with which I was uncertain of the value. I thought, "I may be able to use this for some basic scouting, but I'm not sure if I'll really get anything worthwhile from it." After learning how to fly it (and maybe crashing it a few times along the way...), we started to find simple tasks it could preform that would help us out. Things like getting an overview of a field to check emergence after planting, or after a large rain to check for any damage. Because I could fly the drone over and see everything, I didn't need to walk an entire field myself. This was especially handy when the fields were muddy, or once the corn was above my head. Basically, I'd fly over the field and look for anything out of the ordinary (crops that looked washed out, odd leaf coloring, etc). If I found anything, then I could walk to that spot and check it out. Using the drone for scouting allowed me to cover a lot more ground per day, and ultimately give each field more attention than in previous years.
Another benefit of buying the drone is the opportunity to get some great pictures and video. Although I didn't fly it as much as I would like to, I was able to get at least one chance to record each operation we do throughout the year. Hopefully I can use the pictures and video to share what is happening with all of you, and maybe help you understand some of the things we talk about or send out in emails, newsletters, etc. The video in this post, is one I put together from drone footage taken throughout the 2015 growing season. I ordered everything chronologically and added the dates with brief descriptions for each piece. The video covers an entire growing season from fall tillage to harvest. Let me know what you think!
