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GRANT ULLYOT


Doug White, left, and partner Johann Sveinsson demonstrated how an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be an effective means of dealing with feathered pests.


Airborne alternative?


Dronesmight be the next bird-scare device for blueberry farmers.


By Grant Ullyot A


demonstration took place this summer atMSB Farmin Abbotsford ofwhatmight be the answer to the blueberry cannon controversywhich comes up every


year at this time. With the ever-increasing demand formore residential


property in the Fraser Valley, there has been increased pressure on blueberry farmers to rid themselves of the noisy bird scaring devices. Ban the cannon groups have formed and some local governments have sidedwith the cannon opposition, puttingmore pressure on the growers. The blueberry industry has undergone tremendous growth


during the past 10 years and is nownumber one among the berry growing sectors in BC. The opposition, coupledwith some producerswho refuse to


abide by the normal rules of operation for cannons, has forced the provincial government to invoke newmeasures. The Agricultural Land Commission conducted a series of hearings and completely reviewed both the opposition and the


support for the blueberry grower. The ALC came upwith new regulations onwhen and howcannonsmay be used,which seems to have pacified themajority of people interested in this issue. Still, it smoulders in the background, and the B.C. Blueberry Council finally decided to hire a person to dealwith these complaints. NazumDulat is a liaison officerwith the council and part of


his job is to handle complaints about the use of blueberry cannons to scare away starlings and other birds that can cause thousands of dollars damage to blueberry plantations. Dulat introduced about 30 people to an unmanned aerial


vehicle (UAV)—a drone—thatDougWhite and his partner, Johann Sveinsson, say can do a better job of scaring off birds than the propane cannon. White, a teacher at the B.C. Institute of Technology, is


interested in business development.He says that last year he began thinking about blueberry farms and the need of growers for amore effectivemeans of curtailing bird predation in their fields. “I started thinking aboutUAVs and howthey operated. I felt


birdswould be afraid of the drone and somy partner and I decided to forma company and do some research.We purchased aUAV and for the next fivemonthswe evaluated its operation as a potential bird scaremechanism. “Our research determined theUAVwas very effective and


British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2014 5


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