Take it slow on technology: delegates

But for one of its keynote speakers, the theme should have been, "taking a breather from technology".

Tractor and Machinery Association (TMA) executive director Richard Lewis almost relished the opportunity to comment on the inexorable technology push that many farmers and machinery dealers privately criticise as the tail wagging the dog.

"Slow down," Mr Lewis urged. "Take a break from technology."

Ironically he may have only been speaking to the few because by his considerations, only between five and 10 per cent of farmers are using their high-tech displays in tractor, header and self-propelled prayer cabs.

"The adoption rate is not matching the hype," he said. "Relatively few farmers are using the data from the yield monitors and almost nobody is interested in real time data transfer (telematics).

"Add to this the cost which farmers aren't prepared to pay, signal problems that can delay downloads for days or months or jam up display operations and a supposed cost benefit of between 10 and 15 per cent.

"You put all that together and it's no wonder farmers are resisting the technology push because they don't think it pays."

When asked about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in agriculture, Mr Lewis was equally as cutting.

"They're got limited use and farmers will be reluctant to pay the costs associated with mapping and data recording," he said.

"Decisions will remain in the hands of the farmers who will say yes if it can be profitable.

"The margins are too tight (for anything else)."

It was a hard act for Status Imaging general manager Jonathon Smith to follow to talk about the future of UAVs in agriculture.

And his big picture story is compelling.

"UAVs will have a place in agriculture," he said. "It is estimated that by 2025, 80 per cent of the world's ag sector will embrace UAVs collectively worth $US22 billion.

"In 2014, sales were worth $US609 million and that's predicted to climb to $4.8b by 2021 before a bigger adoption."

Mr Smith, who heads up a family-owned business, primarily services WA, specialising in ag imaging, which he said provided data which annually saves US farmers $US1.3 billion.

"Through imaging, you can detect and assess plant health, stored water capacities, create GPS-referenced maps for a range of uses and re-assess areas annually to assist management decisions.

"Generally a UAV will be in the air for 20 to 40 minutes with the ability to take plots every two seconds then return on the same flight path to take new images which can be overlapped onto previous images."

Using an example of a 2000ha property, Mr Smith said it would involve one UAV flight a season with a Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NVDI) image costing $10,000.

Based on US case studies, such an exercise can produce a cost saving of $60,000.

In another example, he said three NDVI visits would cost $30,000 with a cost saving of $70,000.

On the subject of Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) legislation, Mr Smith said that on September 29, new legislation will allow land owners to use UAVs up to 25kg in weight without being licensed, saving a cost of $10,000.

"You will only have an operating height ceiling of 120 metres (400ft), be restricted to within a 5.5km radius of an airport and banned from operating over populated areas," he said.