State Sen. Francis Thompson said unmanned aerial vehicles will be a critical tool for farmers in the future, and he wants to make sure the Federal Aviation Administration considers agriculture when it proposes rules for drones in November.
Thompson, D-Delhi, created the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Study Group during the 2014 Legislative Session, and this week the 17-person committee recommended the FAA give wide leeway in the use of drones by farmers.
Among those represented in the group was the LSU AgCenter and the University of Louisiana at Monroe, the only college in the state that has a drone program.
"We are very concerned about the impact these changes will have on the agricultural interests of Louisiana," Thompson said. "Louisiana farmers are just beginning to understand the benefits that (drones) can have on their crops by reducing energy costs, effectively managing nutrients and saving water resources.
"Our agricultural resources and university programs, such as the drone program at ULM, need flexibility to continue to research and discover the many advantages and efficiencies drones can provide for the industry. Our recommendations to the FAA will help to ensure that this happens."
Rogers Leonard, LSU AgCenter associate vice chancellor for plant and soil sciences, said current FAA rules "are somewhat outdated and address issues with hobbyist aircraft and, on the other end of the spectrum, commercial piloted aircraft."
"But unmanned aerial systems use in agriculture really does not fit within either of those areas," Leonard said.
So far, the typical drone being developed for agriculture has a wing span of about 3 feet and is equipped with a camera or sensing device to monitor crop fields much faster than a farmer can on foot or in a tractor or truck.
For example, if a farmer can fly a camera over a field to check on the progress of flood irrigation water flow, then he can determine exactly when to turn off the pump. This simple operation could save water resources, reduce energy costs of pumping, and more effectively manage nutrients in the field, Leonard said.
Under current rules, however, if a farmer uses a drone for this purpose, he would be in violation of recent interpretations of the law because he does not have the right to use a UAS commercially above his fields, even if the fields are all his private property.
"All states are facing the same issues as Louisiana," Leonard said. "We want farmers to be able to use UAS to help make their crop production more efficient," Leonard said. "We believe that a category of UAS guidelines for agriculture can be developed that protect privacy and ensure safety but are different from those current rules for hobbyists and commercial aircraft."
The FAA is in the process of gathering public comments from across the country, but the earliest any change in policy will be made may be more than a year away, Leonard said.
Paul Karlowitz, the professor leading ULM's drone program, pointed to a study commissioned last year for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International that forecast the total economic impact of drone integration in the U.S. from 2015-17 to be $13.7 billion with more than 70,000 jobs created.
The same study forecast a total economic impact in Louisiana of $213 million during the same time with more than 1,000 jobs created.
"We can't guarantee students a job, but we believe there won't be enough people with the necessary education and skills to meet the new industry's demand," Karlowitz said.
- Source: http://www.thenewsstar.com
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