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John Deere and Volocopter's VoloDrone.
Global manufacturer John Deere is collaborating with German company Volocopter to develop large drones for agricultural use.
A demonstration of the VoloDrone was shown at the recent 2019 Agritechnica Event, equipped with a JD spray rig – making good use of the machine’s 200kg load capacity.
Powered by 18 rotors, giving it an overall diameter of 9.2 metres, the unit incorporates a fully electric drive system using replaceable lithium-ion batteries, said to offer flight times of up to 30 minutes.
The drone uses a standardised payload attachment system, meaning a variety of implements can be easily attached and carried. In the case of the sprayer unit – seeing twin spray tanks, a pump and spray boom. The company suggests that the set-up has a capacity to cover up to 6ha/hr, with less noise and improved spray management than conventional helicopters, largely due to its low attitude in flight.
Both partners of the collaboration suggest that for agriculture, the concept will offer benefits in areas of poor topography, along with uses in the crop protection, seed distribution and frost control.
While tractors combines and machinery for agriculture and construction is still its key business, John Deere appears to be taking opportunities in the hightech sector via acquisition, with the recent purchase of Sentera, a Minnesota-based company that specialises in equipment for capturing and interpreting aerial images.
John Deere have recently announced upgrades to its round baler offerings, with all models of this latest generation equipped with advanced ISOBUS capabilities, allowing them to be fully integrated into the John Deere Operations Center.
With agriculture in New Zealand coming out of the doldrums over the last few months and the recent announcement of a 20% tax write-off for capital purchases, it likely that farmers will be spending on tractors.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
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