Drones Revolutionize Christmas Tree Farming at Dutchman Tree Farms
Efficiency Skyrockets with Drone Technology
Dutchman Tree Farms, a large Christmas tree farm in Missaukee County, Michigan, has embraced Wingtra drone technology to streamline their crop management process. By using drones to survey their vast fields, tasks that once took days can now be completed in mere hours.
Kate Dodde, the drone pilot at Dutchman Tree Farms, reportedly explains, “The Michigan Christmas Tree Association, along with Dutchman Tree Farms, funded a grant for MSU to do research for Christmas trees. And through this research, using drones, we decided to start our own drone program.”
3D Mapping and Analytics Enhance Decision-Making
The drone program allows Dutchman Tree Farms to gather extensive data about their land, enabling them to make better decisions more quickly.
Dodde describes the process: “We’re flying drones and we’re capturing pictures of the field. Some fields are over 2,000 images, and from those images, we’re creating a 3D map of the field. And from that 3D map, we’re able to pull out analytics for tree heights and tree counts. And this helps us make decisions as far as our inventory what we can sell what we have what’s available.”
Significant Time and Cost Savings
Implementing the drone technology has resulted in substantial time and cost savings for the farm.
“This tool allows us to accomplish something in an hour that would normally take, you know, eight to 12 people an entire day,” Dodde emphasizes.
Future Advancements on the Horizon
Dutchman Tree Farms is continuously exploring new ways to leverage aerial technology for enhanced crop management.
Dodde mentions, “There’s new technology out there that’s becoming more and more affordable, such as LIDAR, which might be able to make us make even better decisions based on the new data sets that we could provide with new technology.”
DroneXL’s Take
The adoption of drone technology by Dutchman Tree Farms showcases the immense potential for drones to revolutionize agriculture. By harnessing the power of aerial imagery and data analysis, farms can optimize their operations, reduce labor costs, and make more informed decisions. As drone technology continues to advance and become more accessible, we can expect to see an increasing number of farms embracing this innovative approach to crop management. The future of farming is undoubtedly intertwined with the rise of drones, and Dutchman Tree Farms is at the forefront of this exciting transformation.
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