Drones for mustering improves safety and efficiency on rural properties
Will Wilson says his cattle don't mind being moved by drone.
(ABC Rural: Meg Bolton)
Mustering at Calliope Station, in central Queensland, looked a little different this year. Instead of employing three men on quad bikes, Will Wilson did the job single-handed with a drone.
Mustering at Calliope Station, in central Queensland, looked a little different this year. Instead of employing three men on quad bikes, Will Wilson did the job single-handed with a drone.
Key points:
One station owner used drones to muster cattle this year and says it's a safer alternative than horses and quad bikes
Quad bikes are a leading cause of deaths and injuries on farms in Australia
Drones are also being used to check crops and water levels
Mr Wilson is one of hundreds of Queensland farmers now using drone technology to make their operations safer and more efficient.
"We are noticing on paddocks that are 3,000 acres and less, they're pretty efficient, save a fair bit of labour, and it make it safer for the men because they're not put at risk," Mr Wilson said.
"We have had injuries off motorbikes before and obviously horses before that [but] so far I've crashed a drone a few times and I still haven't hurt myself."
A safe alternative
Quad bikes are a leading cause of deaths and injuries on farms in Australia, prompting State and Federal Governments to impose safety regulations.
Farmsafe Australia chairman Charlie Armstrong said drones had the potential to make agriculture safer, which was the focus of Farm Safety Week from July 20 to 25.
"Anything that can substitute for a dangerous vehicle or a dangerous machine such as a quad bike and do the job just as effectively is obviously valuable," he said.
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"Rollovers occur from mostly unforeseen circumstances and the stability of the machine.
"One engineer described quad bikes as 'being more stable upside down than the right side up' so that gives you an indication of how easy it is to roll.
"The more we can be thinking about safety and thinking about what could happen, the better off we will be, and many more people will come home for dinner at night."
Cattle friendly
Mr Wilson says drones reduced mustering to a one-man job, and were safer and more labour efficient than quad bikes.(ABC Rural: Meg Bolton)
Mr Wilson said while reducing mustering to a one-man job was safer and more labour efficient, the drone also had a positive effect on the cattle.
"Cattle build a better methodology about humans and work better with you," he said.
"We try to not move our weaners with anything but the drones and it changes their way of thinking [as] they're not running and scared.
"They get to understand when this thing, 'Louie the Fly', is buzzing in their ear, they're probably going to get some fresher foods and it certainly helps their mentality."
Mr Wilson said the cattle responded to the drone like they would a swarm of flies.
"It doesn't seem to be about the size or the noise, it's just an annoying fly that they move together," he said.
"If you have a fly problem, cattle will mob up and this is just a big one of them and it happens to push them in the right direction."
Mr Wilson said while reducing mustering to a one-man job was safer and more labour efficient, the drone also had a positive effect on the cattle.
"Cattle build a better methodology about humans and work better with you," he said.
"We try to not move our weaners with anything but the drones and it changes their way of thinking [as] they're not running and scared.
"They get to understand when this thing, 'Louie the Fly', is buzzing in their ear, they're probably going to get some fresher foods and it certainly helps their mentality."
Mr Wilson said the cattle responded to the drone like they would a swarm of flies.
"It doesn't seem to be about the size or the noise, it's just an annoying fly that they move together," he said.
"If you have a fly problem, cattle will mob up and this is just a big one of them and it happens to push them in the right direction."
Creating new roles
Mr Wilson had flown drones for the past three years but this year was his first complete muster. He said it could become a permanent practice.
"I'm thinking seriously about a position of someone mustering with the drone full time actually … so it's a new type of job, I guess," he said.
But he said there was a limit to what drones could achieve.
"I'm damn sure the drone can't put the cattle through the yard, so that's something that's not a robotic efficiency, it's a human thing and we aren't going to get better than that," he said.
Mr Wilson said it cost $1 per kilometre to fly a drone, factoring in battery life and the replacement of broken drones, with the cost of drone mustering in a 600-hectare paddock around $20.
"They're fairly easy to maintain. All you need is a screwdriver and a soldering iron and you can fix most mistakes," he said.
Becoming the new norm
Meg Kummerow saw a need to help farmers use drones more effectively, when she set up her business Fly the Farm.
Mr Wilson had flown drones for the past three years but this year was his first complete muster. He said it could become a permanent practice.
"I'm thinking seriously about a position of someone mustering with the drone full time actually … so it's a new type of job, I guess," he said.
But he said there was a limit to what drones could achieve.
"I'm damn sure the drone can't put the cattle through the yard, so that's something that's not a robotic efficiency, it's a human thing and we aren't going to get better than that," he said.
Mr Wilson said it cost $1 per kilometre to fly a drone, factoring in battery life and the replacement of broken drones, with the cost of drone mustering in a 600-hectare paddock around $20.
"They're fairly easy to maintain. All you need is a screwdriver and a soldering iron and you can fix most mistakes," he said.
Becoming the new norm
Meg Kummerow saw a need to help farmers use drones more effectively, when she set up her business Fly the Farm.
Meg Kummerow saw a need to help farmers use drones more effectively, when she set up her business Fly the Farm.(ABC Southern Queensland: David Chen)
"Drones are becoming more popular within agriculture and it's all to do with productivity and profitability," Ms Kummerow said.
"If farmers can see a benefit, they will bring new technology into their business."
Farmers were also using drones to check crop health and water levels.
"Particularly when it comes to cropping, drones can provide imagery that a human can't see, and in cattle or livestock it may replace a helicopter or a man on a horse or a bike," she said.
Ms Kummerow said drones would become the norm as the technology developed.
"They will grow in popularity as battery technology gets better and they can fly for longer," she said.
"The drone will be something else that they can use in the future. It will be another tool in their toolbox."
"Drones are becoming more popular within agriculture and it's all to do with productivity and profitability," Ms Kummerow said.
"If farmers can see a benefit, they will bring new technology into their business."
Farmers were also using drones to check crop health and water levels.
"Particularly when it comes to cropping, drones can provide imagery that a human can't see, and in cattle or livestock it may replace a helicopter or a man on a horse or a bike," she said.
Ms Kummerow said drones would become the norm as the technology developed.
"They will grow in popularity as battery technology gets better and they can fly for longer," she said.
"The drone will be something else that they can use in the future. It will be another tool in their toolbox."
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