An innovative drone system that enables farmers to treat crops is among the technologies being showcased at the London Farm Show this week.
The drones can spread fertilizer, spray crops and seed cover crops while flying above farmland, reducing soil compaction that can occur when large equipment drives through fields.
DJI Agras T100 Drone
“Maybe in a time when you wouldn’t want to get your planter in the field this thing can fly over your field and broadcast cover crops without any compaction,” said Myles Weishar with Drone Spray Canada. “So a big thing with compaction is no compaction with the drone compared to traditional equipment.”
Avoiding soil compaction can improve soil health and help farmers maintain productive crops.
The drone system is one of many technologies on display at the London Farm Show, which brings together farmers, researchers and agricultural organizations at the Western Fair District in London.
More than 300 vendors from across North America are taking part in the three-day event, showcasing agricultural equipment, crop technologies and research developments.
Paul Mansfield – Harvest Hands Volunteer
Experts at the show are also discussing advances in crop science.
Area agronomist Greg Stopps said that new gene-editing technologies are helping scientists better understand plant genetics and develop crops that are more resilient to disease and environmental pressures.
“Over the last 20 years we’ve seen an increase rapidly where the cost of utilizing those tools has significantly decreased and our understanding of corn genetics or any crop genetics has dramatically improved,” Stopps said.
Some organizations attending the show are also highlighting efforts to address food insecurity.
Paul Mansfield, a volunteer with the food rescue organization Harvest Hands, said the group collects unsold food from farms, grocery stores and manufacturers and redistributes it to community organizations.
“We’re behind the scenes rescuing food from grocery stores, farms and large greenhouse organizations,” Mansfield said. “We bring it back to our St. Thomas location, repackage it and send it out to about 400 organizations.”
The London Farm Show runs at the Western Fair District until March 6.
More information about the event can be found at:
https://www.londonfarmshow.com/
