Using a drone to spread fertiliser on steep hilly ground is a lot safer than using a big tractor or self-propelled spreader.

In many parts of the UK, some of the of our farms most fertile land can also be some of the most difficult to farm. The steep hillsides in the Yorkshire Dales are a perfect example.

The innovative team at JSR Farms Ltd, in Driffield, East Yorkshire, wanted to know if the XAG drones could be used to help them improve the productivity of some of their steepest grazing pastures.

The gradient of these hillsides is far too steep for conventional tractors or self-propelled vehicles but makes up an important part of their grazing land for their suckling herd.

JSR are one of the largest family-owned farming companies in the UK and operate with a specific focus on sustainable farming, so they were keen to see if the all-electric, autonomous agricultural drones would be able to cope.

Within a few minutes of arriving, one of the problematic fields was mapped, the drone filled with Nitram fertiliser and an autonomous route set up.

To make the test as difficult as possible, we orientated the flight path to run up and down the steepest part of the field, rather than long the contours, as would be normal.

We did this to illustrate the reliability of the drones terrain sensing radar. This radar keeps the drone at a constant height above the ground, regardless of how undulating it may be.

Once the route was set, we hit the Go button and the drone went to work.

For this case, we were applying 95 kilos of fertiliser per hectare, flying at 3 meters above the ground, with a 4 meter wide spread. This meant that each hectare would take about 20 minutes to complete.

As you can see, the drone made easy work of the steep hillsides, but most importantly it was done safely from a comfortable vantage point overlooking the Dales.

So while a single drone may not compete with the coverage of a typical self-propelled spreader over flat ground, when the going gets rough, the drone is a clear winner.

I hope you found this interesting. If you have, you can always find more at AutoSpraySystems.com.

Thanks for watching.