STREATOR, Ill. — The bulk seed boxes were in place, batteries fully charged, and the drone’s dry box and broadcast spreader ready on the flatbed semi-trailer adjacent to the field.
Jay Whalen was set to get the “bird” in the air to plant cover crops across his soybean acres on Sept. 2.
“We took the liquid tank off and replaced it with the dry spreader tank. The spreader tank is a lot taller and deeper because the seed is lighter than the liquid,” he said.
“The liquid tank holds 10 gallons or roughly a payload of 100 to 110 pounds. So, they made the seed container size as close to the 110-weight capacity of the drone as they can.”
The drone seeds about 6 to 8 acres per load, compared to about 5 acres per load for liquid applications of fungicide and insecticide. It takes about eight minutes to cover 8 acres with cover crop seed.
“We fly about 12- to 14-foot above the canopy, depending on what we’re applying and what width. You put in what height you want above the crop and it goes right across the contour of the ground right at that height,” Whalen said.
Crop Conditions
The last time AgriNews checked in with Whalen was July 22 when he was applying fungicide and insecticide his corn ...