Key Takeaways
- Kansas State University’s Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics (ID3A) is partnering with Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems to develop the next generation of precision agriculture.
- The partnership focuses on three key pillars: research and development, community engagement, and industry demonstration and technology transfer.
- The collaboration aims to leverage the strengths of each organization to promote the safe, effective, and sustainable adoption of unmanned aerial systems in farming operations.
- The partnership will result in resources, tools, and education that familiarize, train, and encourage farmers and other interested industry partners in the use of uncrewed aerial systems at scale.
Introduction to the Partnership
In a new partnership between Kansas State University’s Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics (ID3A) and Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems, the two organizations are leveraging each other’s strengths in areas such as industry engagement, research expertise, and more. This partnership is expected to play a significant role in the development of the next generation of precision agriculture, with a focus on unmanned aerial systems. As Lukas Koch, CEO of Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems, emphasizes, "Drones are simply the next frontier in agricultural technology." With decades of advancements in farming technology, techniques, and tools, one farmer can now accomplish work that required dozens of people to do less than a century ago.
The Need for Innovation in Agriculture
Despite the advancements in farming technology, it is still the farmer’s calloused hands that sort through soil, steer a tractor’s wheel, or guide a drone’s controls. This highlights the need to find the best ways to bring innovations into the hands of farmers. The partnership between ID3A and Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems aims to address this need by developing and promoting the use of unmanned aerial systems in farming operations. As Koch notes, "A fantastic place for that to happen is at the university level." A public-private partnership between a company like Kelly Hills and a university like K-State allows for a sandbox where cutting-edge precision agriculture technologies and the farmers who can put them to valuable use can come together.
The Three Pillars of the Partnership
The collaboration between ID3A and Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems focuses on three key pillars: research and development, community engagement, and industry demonstration and technology transfer. In terms of research and development, the partners will collaborate on unmanned aerial technology research for precision agriculture, focusing on areas like optimized aerial spraying for crop protection, remote sensing methods, data analytics integration, and autonomous navigation. With regards to community engagement, the partners will work together to engage agricultural communities, policymakers, and industry stakeholders through educational outreach, drone demonstration events, and technology awareness programs. Finally, the partnership will promote the use of unmanned aerial systems and encourage the adoption and commercialization of emerging UAS technologies within the agricultural sector through real-world demonstrations and field trials.
The Benefits of the Partnership
The partnership between ID3A and Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems has several benefits. For one, it allows the university to work with a company that has the operational resources and connections to on-the-ground partners and is pushing the envelope for autonomous systems. As Brian McCornack, an ID3A director at K-State, notes, "They’re creating a lot of excitement around what they’re doing." The partnership also enables K-State to play a big role in helping Kelly Hills work with the large data sets collected from farmers’ lands. With its diverse range of skillsets, including remote sensing, data analytics, and working with large and small machines, K-State is well-equipped to support the development and promotion of unmanned aerial systems in farming operations.
The Future of Precision Agriculture
The long-term goal of the partnership is to result in resources, tools, and education that familiarize, train, and encourage farmers and other interested industry partners in the use of uncrewed aerial systems at scale. As Ajay Sharda, professor of biological and agricultural engineering and an ID3A director, notes, "We have a diverse range of skillsets, including remote sensing, data analytics, working with large and small machines, and economic responses." The partnership will help make a business case for this technology, which is crucial for farmers who are looking to spend smarter, not more. With the collaboration, Kelly Hills and K-State will work together to unlock the innovation for the world, and as Koch notes, "We’re early in it, but with a relationship like this, we can build on K-State’s mission to serve people across Kansas and the world as a land-grant university."