A gorse-busting drone will soon benefit outgoing National Fieldays Society board chair Jenni Vernon’s 224-hectare Te Akatea farm.
Hill country farmers use drones to spray weeds in areas hard to reach with traditional equipment.
“We have got a contractor coming up to spray our gorse with a drone,” Vernon said. “That’s just fascinating, isn’t it? The fact that a drone can have enough water. It’s really targeted. We’re not going to have spray drift on our neighbour. It’s cost effective.”
She and husband Gordon lease a dry stock unit near Glen Massey to their son Simon and his wife Nicola. Vernon works for the Ministry of Primary Industries, and works on the farm when required.
“My son is hoping that one day we might have a drone that might open the gates of the back paddock for him and shift the stock, or check the water troughs, and that’s not beyond the realms of possibility really, is it?”
On-farm uses of drones have led to the Agricultural Drone Association supporting the inaugural Fieldays Drone Zone where industry experts will share knowledge on how drones are revolutionising farm management.
Drones equipped with multispectral cameras can help farmers analyse crop health, detect pest infestations, and optimise irrigation schedules. Farmers can use drones to track and locate animals and to apply pesticides and fertilisers with remarkable accuracy. Drones also help farmers document environmental compliance, monitor soil health, and assess water management.
“People like to see, and touch and investigate, and eyeball new products,” Vernon said. “That’s one of the attractions of Fieldays. You can see it, hear it, experience it, share ideas, and chew the fat with people.”
Vernon will also be busy running the Fieldays kitchen where she and her team feed volunteers, staff and emergency services.
Punters are given the option of adding a $5 donation to the Rural Support Trust which supports farmers when times are tough.
“We haven’t done that before, it will be interesting to see how it gets for a really good cause, and an opportunity for us to give back to the community directly. They do an amazing job. All of it’s voluntary.”
Ahead of Fieldays Fonterra is forecasting between $9.70 and $10.30 per kilogram of milksolids, a record, for the current dairy season.
“The drought, as you would expect, has been quite tough, but there is a quiet feeling of optimism,” Vernon said.
Vernon has served on the society board for 10 years and will relinquish the chair in December, but her involvement with the society is expected to continue after that.
