Lakeland College will receive $67,085 in federal funding to purchase a drone. The college says the unmanned device will be used as a research tool in agriculture, energy, environmental sciences, fire, and emergency services.
The funding comes from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s College and Community Innovation program.
“This is very exciting for our college, our students, and for the agriculture industry in our region,” says Josie Van Lent, dean of Lakeland’s School of Agricultural Sciences. “Precision agriculture is reliant on data collection. UAVs enable frequent non-damaging and whole-crop scouting, which can give producers better information to make informed decisions about crop management. I am excited about the hands-on opportunities our students and researchers will have to explore how these technologies will impact the future of agriculture.”
The project will also assess the practicality of drone use by farmers