Episode 96 – Counting crops
In this episode, Terry Kingsbury, Chief Drone Pilot at Agricultural Consulting Services in Canterbury, discusses the evolution of drone technology in New Zealand agriculture and why it is becoming an essential tool for farm productivity and precision management. He explains how drones are used for accurate plant counts, crop health monitoring, mapping, and variable rate spraying, and highlights the importance of integrating these tools into everyday farm decision-making.
Guest:
- Terry Kingsbury, Chief Drone Pilot, Agricultural Consulting Services
Host:
- Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Editor-in-Chief, CountryWide
Terry explores how crop type, paddock variability, and plant density affect yield assessments, and explains why correctly capturing and interpreting drone data is critical for reliable results. He outlines the practical benefits of using drones for winter feed crops like fodder beet and swedes, mapping infrastructure, and compliance reporting, and discusses how embracing this technology can drive both efficiency gains and more informed farm management across New Zealand.
Read the article about the drone contracting here.
