Precision UAVs To Enhance Agriculture Technology Curriculum At Arkansas State University And Modesto Junior College

Drone imagery and data analytics provider AgEagle Aerial Systems has launched a new university-specific drone offering for 2019. Building on a sale to Arkansas State University - Newport (ASU) last year by Agribotix (acquired by AgEagle in August 2018), AgEagle has now entered into a new drone program agreement with Modesto Junior College (MJC) to enhance the curriculum of their agriculture technology department.

Beginning next spring, both ASU and MJC will utilize AgEagle drones and technology in their respective curriculum and research. Students will receive hands on experience creating digital aerial maps through the AgEagle FarmLens platform, while also being educated on the benefits of utilizing the data collected for sustainable farming. Further, training will be offered on how to properly use the drones, which are equipped with specialized sensors that collect ultra high-resolution images to identify specific areas of the field with crop weakness. Drone education will become a component of several tracks within each university's agricultural curriculum, including precision ag, agronomy, plant science and mapping.

"Our new university partnership program showcases our commitment to bring advanced, industry-leading technology to students and research organizations with the goal of training the next generation on the tools of today, so they can dream, build and utilize the tools of tomorrow," said Barrett Mooney, CEO of AgEagle. "Both ASU and MJC are in close proximity to important agricultural areas of the U.S., making them institutions with a practical need to add emerging agricultural technology to their curriculum for educating the future farmers of our generation."

"As consumers become increasingly health conscious and demand food with less artificial ingredients and environmental impact, farmers are seeking out technologies that can help them grow crops more efficiently with less chemical and water usage," said Jeff Bookout, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives at ASU. "It is critical to equip our students, the future agricultural leaders of the world, with the knowledge and benefits of drone and technology usage to improve food production and sustainability."

Universities can now purchase drone technology packages specifically tailored to their unique use cases. A combination of multicopter and fixed wing UAVs are available to universities with several sensors and one common software platform for data processing - AgEagle FarmLens. As a retailer of many drone platforms and sensors, including those manufactured by AgEagle for commercial release, this university offering helps ag departments build a relationship with one company to test and train students on the best technology available.

AgEagle will continue to provide support to universities after the sale, and will offer training to faculty and research staff to ensure they have the tools to build a strong curriculum on the field use of UAVs in agriculture.

"Utilizing drone technology in agriculture provides a wide range of benefits to society. In addition to reducing water and chemical usage, drone technology and analytics enable farmers to more effectively manage their labor costs, which is a critical component of their business and an important expense to monitor as they look to improve their bottom-line," said Mike Morales, plant science professor at MJC.

(Source: AgEagle news release)

FMI: www.ageagle.com