Illinois farmer interested in drones

DWIGHT - When Dwight farmer Matt Boucher first contacted a Los Angeles firm about buying a drone, all it knew about them was show business. Taking videos of corn, soy and wheat fields only mattered if a client needed an aerial shot of Robert Redford or Kevin Costner walking through them.

Boucher, however, was more interested in the field itself.

He's an area pioneer of the use of drones in agriculture, a practice which could eventually become widespread. The drones are the ideal tool for keeping tabs on fields, a job which can take hours and even days on foot depending on how much land is involved.

"Time is always a concern on a farm. There is never a day when there is nothing to do," said Boucher, who operates Boucher Farms on 1,000 acres in Dwight. "Instead of going out in my field for hours I can do something else or spend my time with my children, which is very important to me."

Problems with drainage, a lack of moisture or the need for additional pesticides or fertilizers can be determined from images the drone takes in the air. More advanced models can be equipped with sensors to provide even more information about the health of crops.

The devices, which are referred to as "unmanned aerial vehicles," or UAVs, are just starting to appear in agricultural trade publications and at trade shows. Although not yet approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for commercial use, an agricultural market for drones is developing already.

"Just in about the last 12 months or so there has been a lot of talk about them," said Chad Miller, Kankakee County Farm Bureau manager. "Farmers embrace technology and it certainly is a useful tool. They're very handy."

Boucher's own foray into agriculture's future started two years ago in a shopping mall.

"My little guy was five at the time and begging me for one of those little helicopters," Boucher said. "I thought if we could fly those over crops with a camera, it would help."

Pursuing the technology brought him online where me met other like-minded farmers. Eventually, he made a $4,000 investment in a four-prop quad copter designed for show business.

It's in the shape of an "X" with dimensions of 18 inches in each direction. A camera with a memory card provides the images. It can fly up to 20 miles per hour and FAA regulations allow Boucher to fly it as high as 400 feet. He can also feed live video to his iPad and program routes for it to fly.

"This is not a toy," Boucher said. "It's not something you want to turn over to your kid."

In addition to the expense of damaging the drone, the moving blades can cause serious injury to a person and can become a serious liability if there is an accident, he said. That's why Boucher favors licensing for operators.

Boucher also operates a seed dealership, Potential Ag, which will include drone services once the FAA allows them for commercial use. He sees strong potential for the business and believes they will become a staple in the ag industry.

Companies such as Gibson City-based Crop Copter have already developed models for sale at prices between $5,000 and $20,000 they've introduced at trade shows. The only real snag the developing market has is federal regulation.

Boucher can operate his as a hobbyist but is not allowed to charge farmers when he gives demonstrations. The venture will have to wait until regulations are developed. Companies like Crop Copter are waiting, as well.

"It's been a two-year process," Boucher said. "I want to stay on the cutting edge with it."