Embarking on a Pioneering Journey in Agricultural Drones at Orange Coast College, Part 1

Open House at Orange Coast College (OCC), December 2023

In my quest to find information about the use of drones in US agriculture, I was fortunate to assist in December 2023 at an open house event at Orange Coast College (OCC) in Costa Mesa, California. This event, which featured a presentation by Joel Jones on agricultural drone spraying, provided insight into their future use and the current challenges of training pilots in the US.

UAS History at OCC

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program at OCC was established under the Aviation Science Department in 2017, thanks to the funding from the Strong Workforce Grant. The program began in 2018 with a single class focused on Part 107 training and an overview of UAS careers.

Joel Jones, a UAS instructor at OCC since 2018, has been a driving force in shaping the program. His dedication has helped over 100 students obtain remote pilot certificates and he has developed a UAS Aerial Applicator Certificate and an Associate of Science degree. Joel’s collaboration with the Farm Bureau of California on the State Assembly Bill 1016 has significantly updated aerial pesticide regulations to better reflect UAS operations.

As an owner of a crop services company licensed in Arkansas, Wisconsin, and more currently in California, Joel brings extensive real-world experience to his teaching. He holds Part 137 exemptions, including waivers to swarm nine DJI Agras T10 drones, night waivers, and several “zero zone” Certificates of Authorization (COAs) in classed airspace.

Up to now, the OCC drone program fulfilled the need to add drone technology to current careers. To further job readiness within the drone industry, Joel Jones has been actively exploring the development of a program that would produce a trained and certified pilot ready to work full-time in a specialized field. Through networking and the convenient location of the South Coast UC ANR with its 200 acres of farmland, it almost seemed natural to witness the birth of a drone agriculture program.

The Open House Event

This event showcased the new 1300-square-foot classroom and computer lab where the UAS program occurs within the Aviation Science Department. Little did I know Joel had a presentation lined up for the guests. From the overall use of drones to their roles in agriculture, it was clear the event was geared toward presenting the future agriculture drone spraying program, which Joel Jones hopes will be up and running in the fall of 2024

Presentations by OCC teachers

Briana Duncan, a teacher of the UAS program and a Women and Drones organization member, was one of the speakers. Her background in drone education and digital media spans the last seven years. Briana is responsible for the flight lab and will teach future mapping classes. She mentioned that these classes will introduce students to specialized software, drone mapping techniques, and their uses. The drone department flies Mavic, Phantom, Mavic Enterprise, Parrot Anafi, and multispectral. Students can bring their own drones as long as they have remote ID.

Briana also explored drones’ digital and educational potential, including 3D modeling, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). She looked particularly at orthmosaic (2D mapping) uses in agriculture, which can help assess plant growth over time, identifying abnormal plant growth, weed presence, and, among others, plant count.

Briana discussed the drone’s digital uses, such as drone racing, real estate, construction, and videography. She emphasized that camera knowledge and processing are key to delivering the final product regardless of how images are acquired and used.

The Multi-Advantages of Agricultural Drones

Agricultural drone spraying is becoming increasingly getting more attention as it offers numerous advantages over traditional methods. California alone has 43 million acres of farmland, with 27 million dedicated to crops. The US has a total of 839 million of farmland. Joel Jones mentioned many studies in the past 10 years point to the efficacy of new pesticides and increased crop yields.

Drones eliminate the need for human presence in fields during pesticide application, enhancing safety. Joel Jones mentioned research shows that drones offer improved precision and efficacy in pesticide application compared to ground rigs and manned aircraft. Efficacy was 3% higher than manned aircraft and 8% better than ground rigs. Research indicates that drone spraying can be up to 10% more effective in preventing drift than manned aircraft. Moreover, the precision of drones allows for more targeted applications, reducing the amount of pesticide needed and minimizing environmental impact. As a bonus, drones do not damage land like a ground rig would.

This technology is now better at managing smaller acreages. Drones will do a better job than helicopters. However, the biggest difference is how long it will take to accomplish a mission. For example, if you have 5000 acres to spray over 2 to 3 days, a single helicopter can do this. In comparison, it would take a team of 10 drone pilots to cover that amount of land in the same amount of time. The moral of this story: We will need more drone pilots!

Spray drones also reduce the risk for crop duster pilots, who must fly under power lines and over trees, including flying at 140 mph just 10 feet off the ground. The concentration needed over an 8 to 10-hour period every day adds wear and tear, and you need a small moment of inattention to find yourself crashing. US agriculture aviation typically accounts for 10% of all pilot deaths annually, translating into nearly 10 pilots’ losses/year.

The salary of agriculture drone pilots will be a good incentive to recruit more of them. Joel Jones shared that an agriculture drone company could make up to $20/acre and the pilot up to $3 per acre. Some types of crops in California could even double the pilot’s pay.

Drones are particularly advantageous for smaller farms, which often struggle to secure timely services from traditional crop dusters. Crop dusters have contracts with large farms, as serving fewer farms makes more economic sense. This disadvantages small farms, which need to wait for a crop duster to be available. However, with drones and smaller acreage feasibility, agriculture drones could fill this gap.

In part 2, we will examine the high barrier to entry for aerial spraying and the steps Joel Jones’s program is taking to help future pilots navigate the extensive requirements for conducting a Part 137 operation.