Drone Use In Ag Highlights Aug. 17 Pine Tree Field Day
From left, Dharmendra Saraswat, Deano Traywick and Jim Robbins prepare the multi-rotor craft for flight. May 2011 file photo.
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower.
COLT, ARK.
Unmanned aerial vehicles – more popularly known as drones – have great potential as workhorses in agriculture. Their use is among the demonstrations scheduled for the Aug. 17 Pine Tree Field Day.
The field day begins at 8 a.m. with registration and the tour trailer departs from behind the shop at 8:30 a.m., with the educational program concluding at 11:45 a.m., followed by lunch. There is no cost to attend. The station is located at 7337 Arkansas 306 in Colt. (See: https://aaes.uark.edu/research-locations/pinetree.aspx for directions).
“The field day features seven tour stops with an emphasize on fertility and pest management, varietal development and furrow irrigation of rice,” said Shawn Clark, the Pine Tree Station’s resident director for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
The full agenda:
8:40 a.m. – Nitrogen Management in Corn – Trent Roberts, associate professor and soil fertility specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
9 a.m. – Phosphorus and Potassium Management in Soybean – Nathan Slaton, professor and director of soil testing for the Division of Agriculture.
9:25 a.m. – Weather permitting – Drone Demonstration in Agricultural Research – Remote Sensing Canopy Temperature as a Tool for Breeding and Management in Soybean – Larry Purcell, distinguished professor, Division of Agriculture
9:55 a.m. – New Weed Management Options in Rice – Jason Norsworthy, professor and weed scientist for the Division of Agriculture.
10:20 a.m. – Break at Office.
10:35 a.m. – Tour departs
10:40 a.m. – Rice Varieties – Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture.
10:55 a.m. – Rice Stink Bug Control and Insect Update – Gus Lorenz, extension entomologist for the Division of Agriculture
11:20 a.m. – Irrigation Management in Furrow Irrigated Rice – Hardke
Noon – Lunch
Pine Tree Research Station in St. Francis County is considered a Wildlife Demonstration Area with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Pine Tree Research Station got its name from the community in which it is located, not the research conducted. The station accommodates the trifecta of research, which is in agriculture, forestry and wildlife management.
For more information about the field day, contact the Pine Tree Station at 870-633-5767. ∆