UAV's Overhead

UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have been a hot topic in agriculture (and in general) here in the United States as well as around the globe. They have great potential to benefit agriculture through remote sensing practices and scouting. That being said, they also come with controversy on privacy and the law is trying to catch up. It is like many things. Used properly UAV's can be a huge asset and tool, but used improperly and issues can arise.

In the last week the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came out with proposed rules for UAV's weighing under 55 pounds and have even mentioned the possibility of a different set of rules for smaller UAV's weighing in at less than 4.4 pounds. Read the following article to get the details below then use the discussion points below to guide your conversations.

Forbes Article Summarizing Proposed Rules

FAA Document Outlining Proposed Rulemaking

Discussion Points

1. What benefits do you see UAV's bringing to the agriculture industry?
2. What are your thoughts on the proposed rules governing UAV's? Are they too weak, too strong, or just right? Explain.
3. Which proposed rule do you feel is the most important and why?
4. Would you make any revisions to the rules? Justify your suggestions for improvement.

Further research: I encourage you to explore how other countries view UAV's roles in agriculture. How does society view UAV's in other countries? See if you can find information on laws and regulations regarding UAV's in other countries. I encourage you to share your findings by commenting on this post for others to get in on the discussion!