Drones have become invaluable tools in precision agriculture. Using drones with color and multispectral cameras can assist in crop management, efficiency of inputs, and boosting productivity. The challenge is in navigating the range of drone, camera, and software options on the market for starting and growing your agricultural drone program.

This workshop is hosted by Greg Crutsinger from Scholar Farms, a PhD plant ecologist and professional trainer for vegetation mapping in the drone industry. The workshop will provide two one-day workshops (beginning mapping and intermediate data analysis) for hands-on training for agricultural mapping. The target audience is growers, agronomists, researchers, and service providers who are interested in the data side of drone technology for measuring and monitoring crops throughout the growing season.

Session 1 (first day): Intro to UAV Mapping

• Drone hardware and sensors

• Manual take off and landing

• Mission planning for mapping with mobile apps

• Best practices for data capture and mapping

• Introduction to data processing

Session 2 (second day): Intermediate Drone Data Analytics

• Overview of multispectral cameras

• Best practices for mapping plants

• Vegetation indices

• Data processing with Pix4D

• Additional complimentary data tools for aerial crop scouting

Lunch, snacks and strong coffee are included in this workshop at the Intermountain Research and Extension Center (IREC) in Tulelake, California. Hotels for overnight housing are available in nearby Klamath Falls, Oregon. The IREC is one of nine centers under the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. http://irec.ucanr.edu/

No drone experience required prior to the workshop.

Further questions can be directed to Greg Crutsinger (greg@scholarfarms.com)