The organisers of this year's Cereals say the event will showcase the latest developments in drones for farming applications.

Organisers say farmers are likely familiar with using drones to map fields and identify issues with soils, yield variability and weeds, but the next revolution could be a game changer for a number of reasons. The Cereals Drone Zone, themed Scout, Seed and Feed: Cover Cropping with Zero Carbon, will show ground-breaking drones and their capabilities, which could revolutionise some aspects of farming.

“There will be drone demonstrations twice daily in the main Syngenta Sprays & Sprayers Arena,” explains event organiser, Alli McEntyre.  “These will illustrate how autonomous drones and robots can assist farmers across a range of physical tasks.”

Although various eastern countries are already using drones to spray crops, this technology is still in its infancy in Europe - largely due to regulations - but the British Drone Consortium is working to change this. “The regulations mean people have been afraid of new technology, but in China and the East they have been happy to embrace it,” says Jim Bishop, director at Red Air Media. “We have spent the past year working out a way to use drones for spraying and are at the point we just need chemical companies on board. We can do anything with a drone.”

Some of the companies features drones at the show will include:

• Drone Ag
• British Drone Consortium
• Harper Adams
• Autospray Systems

There will also be additional drone demonstrations taking place throughout both days outside of the arena, says Ms McEntyre. “The technology on show offers farmers the chance to see the future in action and what could be operating on their farm very soon.”
 
A Drone Roundtable discussion will also take place on day two of the event, exploring how drone technology can help farmers run their operations more efficiently. 

Cereals takes place next Wednesday and Thursday June 30-July 1.