JUNE 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
11
Drones promise to scare birds for berry growers Transport Canada rules clip wings for this season, however
by TAMARA LEIGH
VANCOUVER – Bird damage is an ongoing challenge for growers of tender fruit including berries, cherries and grapes. Self-flying drones from gUAVas Technologies could change that, however. The new technology is one of the winners of the Agritech Innovation Challenge the BC Ministry of Agriculture and the BC Innovation Council issued last year. “We started gUAVas because we wanted to solve some real-world problems that were out there and try to make an impact,” says Milad Sakianis, co-founder of Fraser Valley-based gUAVas Technologies. As they were exploring the
opportunities, a chance meeting with renowned bird expert Dr. David Bird at a conference opened their eyes to the need for a new approach to protecting agricultural crops from
nuisance birds. “We started working with him and designing a service for farmers that is cheaper than anything else they have been using,” says Sakiani. “We’ve employed some state- of-the-art technology combining drones, machine vision and autonomous cloud control to create a low-cost, effective, humane way to control birds.” The system works by using autonomous drones that fly a variety of different patterns over the fields. They mimic predatory birds and use a variety of sounds and lighting effects to drive the birds away. Using vision-guided precision landing, the drones automatically dock on charging stations in the field to recharge their batteries before launching for their next flight. The entire system is monitored and controlled remotely, reducing the amount of labour required, and ultimately, lowering costs.
“The whole idea, and what
makes it cost-effective, is that we don’t have anyone on-site. It’s all monitored remotely,” Sakiani explains. “We can monitor hundreds of drones over several farms.” “If something happens, the
drone emails us and we get someone out there to fix it. It’s all very hands-off for the farmers,” he adds.
Sucessful pilot
Finding new ways to manage birds is of particular interest to blueberry growers, and the BC Blueberry Council has been proactive in providing input and advice, as well as connecting gUAVas with blueberry growers. The system was tested last summer at half a dozen blueberry farms in the Lower Mainland and was very effective. Unfortunately for farmers
looking to use the service as an alternative to other bird deterrents, Transport Canada’s
Small farm expo postponed by TAMARA LEIGH
SURREY – Organizers of a new educational forum for small lot growers have cancelled the June event and are rescheduling for April 2018.
The event promised two
days of learning sessions and exhibits for the modern homesteader and while the educational program filled in quickly, organizers found exhibitors and other partners needed more lead time to make the show work. “We want to give value to the speakers and exhibitors but with starting our planning in April, we were already too late and many of our exhibitors were already booked,” explains Bill Hardy, one of the founders and organizers. “As much as it hurt to pull plug and reschedule, we think it’s the wisest. That gives us a year to start working with groups so we can secure them for next time.”
New dates for Grow &
Gather will be announced soon. Organizers are working with the Cloverdale Agriplex to find a date in April after receiving feedback that June was too late for many suppliers and gardeners. “June has worked really
well for this type of show in other areas but the suppliers we spoke to said that earlier in the year is better in this area,” says Hardy. “Our ideal timing would be in mid-April around Earth Day.”
“The other benefit of scheduling it earlier means we can fill the lull between when the winter markets finish and summer markets begin,” he adds. According to Hardy, all of the speakers have reconfirmed for 2018, including headliner Curtis Stone from Green City Acres in Kelowna. The delay also has the support of the agricultural advisory committees and other partners that organizers
have been working with. As disappointing as it is to wait another year, Hardy and his team are invested in taking the time to bring a high-quality exhibition and educational event to the Lower Mainland. “We want this event to take off and be a success for years to come,” says Hardy. For more information about the 2018 Grow & Gather Farm Expo, visit [
growandgatherfarmexpo.com].
drone regulations have all but grounded the service this season. “We have been working non-stop with Transport Canada to develop a compliant drone and get approval to fly the drones with only an observer on-site with a kill-switch,” says Sakiani. “The next step is getting approval for full autonomous flight. Other countries are way ahead of Canada on this. We feel confident that, as long as we can demonstrate that it's safe, they'll start to reduce regulations.” Sakiani is hopeful that the issues with Transport Canada will be sorted out by next year. In the meantime, gUAVas is using the $20,000 award from the Agritech Innovation
Challenge to help support continued field trials and accelerate its work with the government, which will be critical to making the system commercially viable. The team at gUAVas is also
excited about the value- added opportunities of having a fleet of drones in farmers’ fields. “While these drones are up in the air scaring the birds, we are testing out some ways to provide information to farmers that they wouldn't have access to with a scarecrow, cannons or netting,” he says. “We can put sensors on the drones to monitor crop health, show trends, do all kinds of monitoring and continuously provide data back to the farmers. That's our next step.”
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