Ascend Conference Focuses on Drone Use in Agriculture

The upcoming Ascend Conference & Expo will deliver practical information about using drones to improve processes in precision agriculture. The conference will be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore., July 19-21, 2017.

The Ascend Conference & Expo will convene experienced, successful UAS pros to deliver hands-on workshops, insights into successes, case studies and best practices, and other programming that will drill down to the fundamentals needed to achieve success, according to Tim Kidwell, editor-in-chief of Drone 360 magazine..

A sample of topics includes:

Thermal sensors and agriculture analysis for crop monitoring and management

Data collection issues in precision agriculture

Yield, maturity and quality estimates: the benefits of drone usage in precision agriculture

Key benefits of UAS in agriculture: tools for efficiency, rules for success (crop and herd monitoring, variable-rate fertility, equipment inspection, irrigation control, pest management)

Beyond sensing to application on the farm

One chance for harvest – technology to help you maximize yields and profits

SOP for precision agriculture: getting started series

Sessions will help attendees do one or more of the following:

Start a business or incorporate drones into an existing business

Learn best practices through case studies and practical examples

Understand policy and comply with FAA, state, and local regulations

Find resources and management tools

Provide commercial application workflows

Minimize financial and legal risk

Manage data acquisition, processing and use

Develop operations processes

Additionally, the Ascend marketplace will encompass all aspects of UAS including service providers, commercial applications, platforms, software, research, technology, training, components, advocacy, education, government agencies, trade associations and retailers.

Kidwell says the commercial UAS industry is at a critical stage of development, with the potential to solve real-world problems across a wide variety of business segments. Additional targeted conference tracks will focus on real estate, construction, insurance, utilities management, photo and video, and police/fire/SAR.