Michelle Mann
AUBURN UNIVERSITY -- The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is hosting the third annual Spray Drone End-User Conference March 23-26 at the Mobile Convention Center in Mobile.
After the success of the 2024 conference, Steve Li, an Alabama Extension associate professor, and his team are excited to continue offering the conference in a hybrid format.
"The conference was the most comprehensive, end-user-focused spraying event in North America in 2024," Li said. "We are so excited that it is back for 2025 with the generous support of our sponsors. Last year, we had more than 400 registered participants from 40 states in the United States and 26 countries. We expect the attendance this year will double compared to last year."
Registration
Online registration is available on the Alabama Extension website at www.aces.edu/go/DroneConference. There are two registration fees based on attendance preferences. Registration for in-person attendance is $400 but will increase to $500 after Jan. 31. Registration for fully remote attendance is $250 but will increase to $350 after Jan. 31.
Remote attendees will have live access to all presentations and panel sessions via Zoom. Recordings of the presentations and panel discussion will be available to all participants after the conference.
Conference sessions
There are 24 sessions on tap for the conference. The following topics and many others will be covered:
Complete field solutions for drone work.Regulatory updates from the Federal Aviation Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.Presentations from renowned researchers, equipment manufacturers, distributors and experienced drone operators.Panel discussions and question-and-answer sessions with regulatory agency representatives, researchers, equipment manufacturers and experienced custom-spray-drone operators.Guidance for those interested in beginning a drone spraying business.Drone basics, including maintenance, repair, liability, mixing trailer setup, software, etc.
Read more about each session on the conference program web page at www.aces.edu.
Backed by Research
Li has made drones a high priority for his research team, as farmers across Alabama look for better spraying options in small and water-logged fields and areas that are difficult to access. Li began his focus on drone use in field crops in 2019.
"Four years ago, we began working with drones and precision technologies," Li said. "Now, we are heavily focused on delivering crop protection chemicals -- including herbicide, fungicides and insecticides -- as well as other chemicals that farmers typically use on the farm with these new technologies."
Since 2022, Li's research and outreach efforts include approximately 100 field trials, 42 live-drone demonstrations, more than 100 educational presentations and regular social media posts about spray drones. These efforts have reached more than 237,000 people across six continents.
More Information
For more information, visit the conference web page at www.aces.edu/go/DroneConference or contact Li at [email protected].
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