Photos by Mike Brothers
With the Drone in the foreground the class learns how to maneuver. Pictured from left: Eric Mercer, Olivia Buxton, Conner Sheehan, Ethan Macklin, Kam Roley, Kyle Burford, T.J. Williams, Jackson Masters, Wesley Wise, ag instructor.

•December 2, 2015•

By Derek Pope
For the News Progress

Agricultural technology has undeniably come a long way since its humble beginnings, perhaps more so in recent decades than at any other time in its history.

But this year could mark the advent of one particular technological wonder in agriculture that, before now, hadn’t quite taken off—the drone. With Moultrie County being the seat of some of the best farming in Illinois, it only seems appropriate that Okaw Valley High School’s ag department is poised to make the most of this emerging commercial technology.

Thanks to a grant from the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System earlier this year, Okaw Valley was given funds to purchase a commercial style drone for the purpose of vocational training in its agriculture classes.

The school’s erg instructor Wes Wise said of the purchase, “Without question we are making advancements in the OV erg department that are going to put our students at the forefront of employment.”

The drone, which retails for roughly $2,000, will allow students to take aerial video and photography of local area farm fields to look for “water, insect, and disease damage” in unprecedented ways.

According to Wise, recent research has indicated that drone technology can increase crop yield by as much as 10% by recognizing these issues before they become a problem for farmers.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.