MT. VERNON, Ill. – The regenerative advantages of using drones in livestock grazing systems was the topic of an Aug. 27 webinar hosted by the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition (IGLC). According to webinar participants, thermal imaging provided by drone-mounted cameras can help identify optimal application windows for cover crop seeding, which may also be accomplished via drone technology. Utilizing the cover crop as a feed source for grazing livestock can help feed livestock into the winter while improving soil health.

“One of the things we are really pushing through IGLC is getting livestock back out on row crop acres,” said Logan Karcher, a southern Illinois farmer and IGLC director of producer programs who moderated the webinar. “We see a tremendous amount of soil health improvements (occur) quickly compared to a (non-grazed) cover crop rotation.”

Offering expert advice on incorporating drone technology on crop and livestock operations was Cliff Schuette, a Breese, Ill., farmer, seed dealer and the recipient of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s prestigious Woody Woodruff Award for on-farm conservation in 2024. Schuette, owner of Schuette Signature Beef, explained that drones allow producers to interseed cover crops in early fall prior to harvest, encouraging early establishment.

“We’ve been flying (cover crops) on since 1996 using planes, helicopters and now drones, which are very precise. Drones can fly the boundaries of the field, and you can spread 10 feet away from the line or on the line. With a helicopter or plane you cannot,” Schuette said. “The biggest thing is that you have got to get the cover crop down in there early enough to get it rooted down and make some growth before winter.”

Schuette recommended flying on cover crop seed when corn or soybean leaves begin to yellow but before leaves begin to drop. Using a drone instead of heavy equipment eliminates soil compaction and works on all types of field conditions, including hard-to-reach areas. However, application timing, cover crop seed selection and other factors must all be considered before introducing cover crops for the purpose of increasing the length of the grazing season.

Recent and ongoing field trials are supporting the IGLC’s message of reintroducing livestock on crop lands, when possible, according to Schuette. “I’ve been working with the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy on tests that show we can double the organic matter on the farm if you put livestock on the farm, compared to covers with burndown and no livestock,” he said.

Karcher noted that in addition to improving soil health, introducing livestock into a cover crop rotation can also increase yields on cash crops and lower winter feed input costs. Adding a virtual fence system would allow open-field grazing by livestock following cash crop harvests, he said. “The virtual fence takes the question out of play of getting infrastructure established. And instead of scraping and spreading all that manure from a feedlot all winter it’s already out there, so imagine the fuel and labor savings you are having by leaving the cattle out there,” he said.

“By using drones and getting that (cover crop seed) more precisely and timely spread to where we have that living root in the soil almost 365 days a year, is really an incredible thing.”

Ryan Vander Haar, co-owner of aerial applicators L&R Ag of Breese, said the key to establishing cover crops for use as livestock forage is successful pre-harvest establishment of cover plants. Aerial application removes the challenging and time-consuming chore of drilling cover crop seed into corn silage, Vander Haar noted, though broadcasting cover crop seed is more reliant on favorable post-application weather conditions to succeed.

“The nice part about it, too, is you don’t always have to graze it in the fall. If you get 2 or 3 inches of growth getting started and you’ve got (forage) stockpiled, you can wait until spring green-up and graze that cover crop then to help spread your (feed) out,” Vander Haar said.

Summarizing the points made by webinar speakers and the IGRC, advantages to introducing drones to extend the livestock grazing season include:

- Getting information without having to physically drive or walk everywhere

- Checking livestock/finding lost animals

- Mapping fields and pastures

- Comparing pasture utilization

- Establishing cover crops or forage species on crop ground

- Capturing value from land that might otherwise sit idle between crops

The IGLC Grow and Graze webinar, “Drones: Their Use in Adaptive Grazing,” has been archived for viewing at https://grazingforage.com/videos.