Pastures and technology need advice or verification

[Chapin81]

I don’t know if it’s the right forum but Can a drone with a special type of camera determine the nutritional value of pastures??? A few weeks ago I had a representative who is trying to get me to buy their minerals sent someone to do an assessment free of charge to check the condition of the land. He took these pics and I just got them today, it’s shows the cows and calf’s, we use high density grazing and some of the rested pastures. What do you guys think?? Blowing smoke up my rear or is this legit??? I always though soil and the nutritional values for grass samples were always sent to a lab.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Realizing you are not on site I am compelled to ask if you are secure in your knowledge of the land in question? Have you or someone
you trust been at the site the photos reveal? It is, on it's face, a sales solicitation which may or may not be to the benefit of the business.
I would think it would not be beyond the realm of possibility to take soil samples and have them analyzed stateside at a reputable lab of
your choice. There should be some means of obtaining information on the company offering the service and the product in question.
I realize this does not answer your specific question but it may serve as an avenue to the information you need.
Due to the hour I am signing off. I would expect that within 24 hours you will have some very worthwhile suggestions on how to proceed.
Good Luck LVR

 

[Warren Allison]

I don’t know if it’s the right forum but Can a drone with a special type of camera determine the nutritional value of pastures??? A few weeks ago I had a representative who is trying to get me to buy their minerals sent someone to do an assessment free of charge to check the condition of the land. He took these pics and I just got them today, it’s shows the cows and calf’s, we use high density grazing and some of the rested pastures. What do you guys think?? Blowing smoke up my rear or is this legit??? I always though soil and the nutritional values for grass samples were always sent to a lab.

No, there is no way to analyze soil from a photo. Determining the mineral deficiency requires a physical sample to be tested in a lab. Or, do you think this representative who took the drone photos also took soil samples and had them tested, then matched them to the respective photos?

 

[Stickney94]

I don’t know if it’s the right forum but Can a drone with a special type of camera determine the nutritional value of pastures??? A few weeks ago I had a representative who is trying to get me to buy their minerals sent someone to do an assessment free of charge to check the condition of the land. He took these pics and I just got them today, it’s shows the cows and calf’s, we use high density grazing and some of the rested pastures. What do you guys think?? Blowing smoke up my rear or is this legit??? I always though soil and the nutritional values for grass samples were always sent to a lab.

I will agree with LVR -- at the end of the day they are trying to sell you something. However, there are cameras and technology that can assess nutrient deficiencies from satellites. I don't know if those are available for drones. 25 years ago the term was remote sensing -- at the time it looked at infrared light to determine nutrient differences based on growing crop light reflection -- I had a course in college where we worked with these types of collected images. As Warren says -- that isn't a soil sample.

Again, that was 25 years ago and I'm sure there have been advancements in technology.

 

[Chapin81]

No, there is no way to analyze soil from a photo. Determining the mineral deficiency requires a physical sample to be tested in a lab. Or, do you think this representative who took the drone photos also took soil samples and had them tested, then matched them to the respective photos?

Hi warren, my caretaker said he flew the drone over parts of our property but no samples were taken.

 

[Chapin81]

I will agree with LVR -- at the end of the day they are trying to sell you something. However, there are cameras and technology that can assess nutrient deficiencies from satellites. I don't know if those are available for drones. 25 years ago the term was remote sensing -- at the time it looked at infrared light to determine nutrient differences based on growing crop light reflection -- I had a course in college where we worked with these types of collected images. As Warren says -- that isn't a soil sample.

Again, that was 25 years ago and I'm sure there have been advancements in technology.

Just spoke to someone who mentioned the same thing to me. Apparently if the algorithms are done correctly what they do is they base the values on the color of foliage. But that’s only if the numbers are done or calibrated correctly based on region I was told. In theory it does work if it’s done correctly but yes it’s not an actual soil sample.

Thanks for proving your input on this.

 

[Chapin81]

Realizing you are not on site I am compelled to ask if you are secure in your knowledge of the land in question? Have you or someone
you trust been at the site the photos reveal? It is, on it's face, a sales solicitation which may or may not be to the benefit of the business.
I would think it would not be beyond the realm of possibility to take soil samples and have them analyzed stateside at a reputable lab of
your choice. There should be some means of obtaining information on the company offering the service and the product in question.
I realize this does not answer your specific question but it may serve as an avenue to the information you need.
Due to the hour I am signing off. I would expect that within 24 hours you will have some very worthwhile suggestions on how to proceed.
Good Luck LVR

Good morning LVR,
When we started grazing cattle the whole property was a forest/jungle. It was never used for anything except cattle grazing, I know the property layout pretty well, around 80% Obviously after many years of over grazing with no imputs I would assume soils degrade over time. Since 2004 up until early 2020 we never provided minerals or supplements, I think we started with cheap mineral in late 2020, in February 2022 I changed to a different mineral and our cows lost body condition and had a few deaths, August 2022 we changed to another mineral and added yeast to their diet and cows are gaining their body condition, I still have a few thin cows but they are getting chunky again, end of august 2022 I was approached to try new mineral which contains protein which I think is urea, is that what’s used up here in the states with minerals that have protein?? The representative also mentioned that some minerals like manganese, zinc, copper are protected or covered by amino acids so it has An opportunity to be absorbed and not lost in the rumen. My caretaker was there when they took pics with the drone. No actual soil or foliage samples were taken for analysis. It was just the drone flying overhead and taking pics. Someone did clarify it can take measurements but only if the algorithms are correctly calibrated. I thought it was just a gimmick to try to get us to buy their product. Which is why I asked if anyone knew about this “technology” my actual game plan is to have soil samples taken, however our grasses are growing fine. Next week we are starting to use Multimin 90, we already started to use a b12 with iron, we also started to use a bayer product called Vigantol AD3&E. And As always your detailed insights and opinions are greatly appreciated and valued. Take care LVR

 

[Stickney94]

I almost mentioned that the algorithms for this are complex -- haha -- or at least that is what I tell myself since I didn't do well in the course I was taking

I know there are others on here that are smarter -- but changing my mineral regiment in order to augment my pasture nutrient level is a new sales strategy I haven't heard of and seems pretty inefficient -- but perhaps I'm mistaken.

 

[Chapin81]

I almost mentioned that the algorithms for this are complex -- haha -- or at least that is what I tell myself since I didn't do well in the course I was taking

I know there are others on here that are smarter -- but changing my mineral regiment in order to augment my pasture nutrient level is a new sales strategy I haven't heard of and seems pretty inefficient -- but perhaps I'm mistaken.

I was told whatever the cattle secretes through urine and feces it eventually goes into the soil. Obviously I’m going to assume this takes a long time to accomplish. What I definitely like so far is the way we graze, we have grass during the summer months and never run out.

 

[Ebenezer]

I know some researchers (doing some here) who are using collected data of a particular species and drones to try to predict yields. But they need soil tests, forage samples harvested and analyzed... I hope that these guy who contacted you do not snooker too many folks.

 

[Brute 23]

Just spoke to someone who mentioned the same thing to me. Apparently if the algorithms are done correctly what they do is they base the values on the color of foliage. But that’s only if the numbers are done or calibrated correctly based on region I was told. In theory it does work if it’s done correctly but yes it’s not an actual soil sample.

Thanks for proving your input on this.

That is correct. I belive they can tell quantity of forage and some other things also.

I've heard them using this for deciding when to rotate, burn, etc.

 

[kenny thomas]

The very.best way to decide your mineral needs consists of forage samples, soil samples, and blood samples. It will show what's available in the soil, how the plants are utilizing it, and how the cattle are utilizing it from the forage.

 

[Chapin81]

I know some researchers (doing some here) who are using collected data of a particular species and drones to try to predict yields. But they need soil tests, forage samples harvested and analyzed... I hope that these guy who contacted you do not snooker too many folks.

Another person in a social media forum who happenes to be a few hours south of us said he was also approached by a mineral company as well. Same sales pitch, their stuff is from better quality source materials, their label shows true breakdowns. Also provided free imagery with nutritional values but he said he wasn’t buying it. He’s DM shortly to share details on what was presented to him. I doubt many folks would bite the bullet on this type of sales pitch.

 

[Son of Butch]

Sure, visual observation of crops during the growing season to spot possible deficiencies has been done for a hundred years. Advancement in technology makes collecting and analyzing the data more accurate and efficient. My guess is we are still 15-20 years away from the technology described being used profitably and anyone pushing cutting edge technology to the average farmer is just seeking to get their hand in your pocket.

IMO the real benefits to farmers will be in high value production acres not pasture.
But use of drones now can be very profitable for salesmen and companies

 

[wbvs58]

Yes when their drone says you need this that and that and their mineral just happens to provide all that they think they've got you in a corner and you just can't say no.

Ken

 

[Ebenezer]

Yes when their drone says you need this that and that and their mineral just happens to provide all that they think they've got you in a corner and you just can't say no.

Ken

And in true precision agriculture, you need spreaders that can dole out the various elements or minerals based on the patterns show via aerials and via GPS. I don't know how widespread those type spreaders are in the USA but I doubt that there is one around here. My attempts at it is to know where I've seen poor grass in the past and do a 2nd run across those areas with the litter spreader. It sounds down-home, but it has made a world of difference.