Drone Technology Makes its way on the Farms of Central Illinois

Something new can be seen buzzing around several farms in the Macomb area this growing season, but it’s not bees or other bugs seeking sustenance. Rather, it’s a drone being deployed by local businessman and U.S. Cellular customer David Brint, as he puts a high-tech twist on central-Illinois farming. Brint is using the latest drone technology to help his customers get a bird’s eye view of planting and crop conditions on their properties, check fences and survey storm damage. The drones can even help them locate a lost animal, if the need ever arises.

Brint is the owner of Brint Seed & Supply, through which he sells seed and fertilizer to farming customers. After watching how drones were being used in the farming industry and seeing the technology continue to evolve and improve, he began to consider how he might be able to use a drone to provide some value-added services to his customers. When it came time to buy, Brint turned to his local U.S. Cellular store in Macomb, where he met the helpful and knowledgeable Thomas Todd, retail sales manager and a drone enthusiast.

With Todd’s guidance, Brint identified the perfect solution for his needs, and he and his wife purchased the Bebop 2 as a gift for their son, Hayden, with the idea that he could learn how to operate it for both fun and business use. Hayden quickly grasped the technology and has been piloting the drone for his dad and helping incorporate it into the company’s service offerings.

“It’s a little niche that we’ve been able to carve out where we can enhance customer service with the added benefit of spending time in the business together,” said David Brint. “It’s a great opportunity to bring young people into the farming industry, and farmers are excited to have Hayden helping them.”

The Bebop 2 boasts an impressive camera, and with an external controller purchased along with it, the drone’s range can be extended to more than a mile. The drone has the capability to help farmers identify and document where low spots may lead to poorly drained soil and weeds in need of spot spraying. It can also get low enough to the ground to see potential insect damage. The Brints have used their drone to assist a customer who was laying field tile to aid in drainage. Using the overhead view of field footage captured by the drone, they could easily see what sections were already laid and what still needed to be done. Other farmers have even relied on drone technology to find a lost cow in a cornfield.

Brint and his son use an Apple iPad mini for flight operations. This enables them to not only see what the drone is seeing, but also to record it in both video and photo format for playback and documentation purposes.

“With U.S. Cellular’s fast, high-quality network that works whenever and wherever customers need it, it’s a breeze for drone users like David and Hayden to utilize this new technology,” notes Todd. “They can easily share all of the great still and video footage with customers or upload it to their social media channels.”

Brint adds that aside from the visibility it offers and the documentation feature, there are many other benefits to incorporating this relatively inexpensive technology into the farming industry.

“It’s a real time saver as we can now visually inspect a field using the drone versus having to walk the entire area. It’s a great way to get an overall visual of the property, essentially making it possible to see what crops look like from an airplane without having to incur the cost of hiring or flying a plane,” Brint said.

The Macomb U.S. Cellular store alone has sold about 30 drones for professional use over the past year, providing customers with the latest technology solutions that can enhance their lives and businesses. Whether they are being used for farming, real estate or other applications, it’s clear that drone technology is being embraced in the Heartland.