Progressive Farmer
IOWA CITY, Iowa (DTN) -- A heavy downpour would be a disaster for most field days. But the muddy mess was the perfect opportunity for Michael Ott, the CEO of Rantizo, to show off how a new system of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) work together to spray pesticides and seed crops.
"If you needed to spray today, you couldn't with a ground rig," said Ott, during a media day at the company proving grounds near Iowa City, Iowa. "But our drone systems can do it. People are realizing a drone can treat areas that tractors or self-propelled sprayers are not suitable for."
Rantizo, which means "to sprinkle" in Greek, has spread its wings recently by developing technology and equipment so multiple UAVs can work together to spray or seed fields efficiently. In this case, a fleet of three drones work together and are capable of applying herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, nutrients and cover crop seeds.