Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Will Florida Allow Drones to Survey Agriculture?
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the first agricultural-specific permit for the use of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). According
to ADAVSO, the permit winner, the company will use drones as part of a
precision-agriculture program. Precision-ag requires site-specific data
to make farm-management decisions, like nutrient and water use. Such a program, experts say, could help an agriculture-rich state like
Florida. For instance, University of Florida researchers have been
testing the use of small helicopters to check citrus trees for greening,
a disease that has dealt a huge blow to one of Florida's treasured
industries. The uses for customized drones, proponents argue,
are boundless, including for surveying fields, inspecting, mapping,
monitoring moisture and growth and analyzing application results. But, a top priority in 2013 for one of the Florida Senate's most powerful Republicans was a bill limiting drone use in the state. Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, along with Melbourne Republican Ritch Workman in the House,
passed the Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act, restricting the
use of drones in law enforcement. The bill was subsequently signed into
law by Gov. Rick Scott. At the time he was crafting the bill,
Negron told Sunshine State News, "I would anticipate very minimal uses
for drones, and it may end up being that because the uses are so
limited, it's not practical to have one.” Contacted Wednesday,
Negron said drones for police surveillance and drones for ag are two
different things. "My bill only dealt with the use of drones by law
enforcement," Negron said Wednesday. "I have no objection to farmers and
ranchers using civilian drones for agricultural purposes."...more
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