Page 44 October 27, 2015
2015 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM
some people will run cows out along a creek
and you can fly this drone and find out where all
your cattle are. If you have a calf missing you
can take the drone and fly out until you find the
calf and then go get it.”
Grieme noted that the drone will never replace
people as far as the work is concerned. “If a
drone finds a calf, the farmer still has to go out
and get the calf. It’s just another tool in your
toolbox to use and as things go on there will be
more and more applications,” he said.
Grieme is also impressed with the quality of the
cameras on the drones. “With the technology
they have now the GoPro cameras that are on
these are unbelievable. It’s almost professional
quality. I saw a video where they flew a drone
out over a field as the crop was just emerging
and then when it got a little higher they did a
time-lapse. I mean you can get as creative as
you want to.”
As an avid enthusiast of flying the remote-
controlled airplane, Grieme says the drone is
easier to fly but you do need training to operate
one. “You have to have a little training. It’s a
stationery object. You can get them now where
they will hover over one spot in the field and
you can take your hands off the controls and it
will just stay there. And if it gets way out there
in the field you can just push a button and it will
return to you,” he noted.
Grieme also emphasized people must use
common sense and act responsibly when
operating a drone, “It’s like anything else, it’s
something that you want to make sure you take
responsibly and seriously.” While Grieme is the
only one who has operated his drone, he says,
“If somebody wanted me to teach them how to
fly I’d be more than happy to. In a half an hour
I could have them flying.”
Coers agrees with Grieme and says, “It’s super-
simple to fly.” She also likes all the new safety
features and is particularly fond of the home
button that Grieme alluded to. The home button
is a safety feature that allows the GPS system
on the drone to find its way back to the person
holding the controls. Coers mentioned that the
DJI Phantom 3 Vision Quadcopter could travel
as far as 1.2 miles from the person flying it.
Both Grieme and Coers also concur that these
devices are for recreational purposes only.
If you are interested in owning a drone you
can contact Central Illinois Ag. Earlier this
year, CIA partnered with Flying AG, a leading-
edge agricultural imagery business founded by
leaders in the agriculture industry. When you
purchase any of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
that CIA offers, you will also get a hands-on
training session and additional batteries and
storage.
According to news reports, drones are expected
to be a popular Christmas gift, with an estimated
750,000 to be sold this year.
