New contracting companies
Focus for Drone workers on dairy farming
Drone workers will start in 2018 with 2 new contractors. This improves their nationwide network. The drone specialists are particularly strong in arable farming. Expansion of the team means more focus on dairy farming and civil engineering.
Drone workers became set up by 3 entrepreneurs. In 2017, the team was joined by another 2 companies Bickery has an† For the coming season, 2 new parties will join the collective: CWV Barlo and contractor De West from Westbeemster. Like the other parties, they also fly an eBee drone. In total, the collective has 8 agricultural eBee drones in use.
Question from dairy farming
The new Drone workers are both active in dairy farming areas. The collective wants to focus on that. "Precision farming is known in arable farming, but in dairy farming it is a neglected child", explains co-founder Christel Thijssen. "We see a lot of interest emerging and we are participating in various grass recovery projects. "With slurry technology you see the emergence of NIR sensors. However, this requires a good substantiation. You can make these with the help of drone images and ground sensors. That's what we do."
Fertilize exactly
One of the projects in which Drone Workers is involved is looking at the variable application of fertilizers. "We fertilize on the basis of soil and crop needs. This means that less manure has to be removed and (green) fertilizers can be used more precisely, which is required for the Kringloopwijzer dairy farming. Completing the cycle is a major concern in dairy farming. Thijssen said.
Werktuigenvereniging Barlo enters into a partnership with ForFarmers and Agrowin to offer their services in the east of the Netherlands. It is also active in ground, road and hydraulic engineering. Contractor De West - Beemster Drone focuses, in addition to livestock farming, also on water boards and dike maintenance. The drone can also prove its worth there.
Making profitable
"The flying season for agriculture is short. About 1 to 1,5 months a year," says Thijssen. "We are looking for new opportunities to use the eBee profitably. Collaborating with water boards and the earthmoving sector is therefore interesting. We also fly for Interpolis Achmea to determine damage and we work together in projects with Agrifac and Kverneland."
Fast data processing
According to Thijssen, the collective has a market share of 60% to 70% in the Netherlands. Hopefully this will be increased to 80% with the expansion. However, growth is not an end in itself. "It's not just about flying and making maps. We can also scan the soil and make the picture round. That is unique. Last year we invested in image processing. We can upload data in the field and to our own computer The customer has his data within a few hours, regardless of the plot size. We also offer this image processing for third parties."
On January 19, the new Drone workers will be introduced to the media and interested parties during a meeting in Emmeloord at the AgroFoodCluster.
Niels van der Boom
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.