Last week, the University of Idaho Extension office in Oneida County hosted its winter Beef Class.  Among the topics covered were the use of drones, protein supplements for cattle, and grants available for beef producers.  

Justin Clawson from Utah State University spoke first, and explained the experience that he and his research team had had exploring the potential for drones to assist with cattle counts and roundups, including the use of thermal imaging in drone observation as a way of locating cattle that were “missing” or unable to be located otherwise.

Drones can provide a much more efficient, eagle-eye means of exploring the area.  He explained that his first official trial of the technology took place at Bloomington Lake, ID and involved 3000 acres.  Over the course of the roundup, Clawson used two way radios, a side by side, food and water supplies, binoculars, and a flight chart along with an Autel Robotics EVO II Dual 640T v3 Thermal Imaging Drone.  The drone is able to take a straight image and a thermal image at the same time.

In order to fly a drone for any kind of commercial purpose, a drone pilot’s license is required.  He explained a bit about the licensing process, and noted that once you have paid the fees and passed the test, you are “a pilot for life” and then just need to renew the license every two years.

The prospect of adding such a new technology to one of the oldest jobs in the West can be off-putting for some.  In fact, he said that the number one question he gets from ranchers is, “are you telling me I can’t ride my horse anymore?”  Clawson is very quick to respond that horses can be a great addition to the drone process, as they allow the user to access more areas than a side by side

Another question that comes up frequently in his discussions with ranchers is whether the drone bothers the cattle.  “They could care less,” he said when the question was raised at the meeting.  “I was 250 feet above them, and they didn’t even notice or respond.”

Clawson suggests that it is good to have another person along to watch the drone itself in the sky while the pilot watches the drone camera on the monitor.  Because the drone can be somewhat difficult to see at distance, an operator who is just using the monitor can easily lose track of where it is.

One unexpected problem that Clawson and the crew noted was that on the day they were surveying it was above 90 degrees, which is close to the body temperature of most mammals.  As a result, the standard thermal filter had difficulty finding the cattle against the hot backdrop.

Charging in the field was another limitation they found.  Clawson uses a portable charger station, with a one hour fast charge.  His total fly time without additional batteries was 6 hours with 3 batteries.

Clawson used what he had learned to look for cattle in Price, UT later in the year. 

In that case, the weather was very cold.  He noted that flight times are reduced by the cold due to its effect on the technology.  He also noted that livestock don’t like to move when it’s cold, so it takes more active looking to spot them.  Strangely, he also discovered that pine trees give off heat signature that can be filtered out.  

To conduct his searches, Clawson used established Search and Rescue methods from the Civil Air Patrol methods.  The “Creeping line” method, “Controlled point” search,  and “Sector search” strategies were all usable in different situations.

Using drone, they found 9 cattle in 4 hours that had originally not been locatable.

Clawson stated that on average, a pilot can search 600 acres in an hour.  He noted that south facing slopes are harder, because they are warmer.  He also championed the value of drones for personal protection.  “Part of this is actually a safety issue, when we can go into areas that you guys don’t want to.” 

Drones are only allowed to fly 400 ft above ground, but this can be an issue when surveying a valley, where the ground level is below the threshold.  There are some corrections you can only learn through experience, like turning the limiters off to get higher when in a valley.  

You don’t need a license to buy a drone.  He says that in the long run, it is definitely more cost effective to learn how to do it yourself.

Following Clawson, Chris Banks from Conservation Basics spoke on grants and projects with the SWCD (Soil and Water Conservation District).  Banks took a survey of the room to see how people felt about the current climate for grants and projects.  The consensus was not overly positive.  “It’s true—it’s scary if we think we’re doing anything with the government,” Banks said.  “But the neat thing about the SWCD is that the board members are your neighbors--they know the land and the needs.”

Banks proceeded to discuss a variety of grant and program possibilities that might be applicable to local ranchers.  He discussed the State Ag BMP program (for irrigation and water projects), the Water Quality Program for Ag (irrigation enchancements), the 319 program (related to Clean Water Act),and Bureau of Reclamation, Aging Infrastructure, Flood Control, and other programs.

He discussed a recent BDA (Beaver Dam Analog) project on the Blackfoot River north of Soda Springs, which had recently been completed.  Another will be coming soon in the same area.  While in many cases a nuisance, in others Beavers help by making ponds.  The pond is good for livestock,  and it releases water over time.  They serve as natural diversion structures.  

IFA Nutritionist Jim Lamb then spoke about protein supplementation and efficiency.  His primary focus was on NPN (non-protein nitrogen) as a component of feed supplements, and how to determine safe and effective strategies for using it.

Lamb’s information was highly practical in its nature, and was of great value to those who were familiar with the unexpected amount of math, biology, and organic chemistry needed to effectively raise cattle.  Which is all to say, it was an impressive run down of information that was way over this reporter’s head, but targeted to the amazing ranchers that understand the implications.

“I’m going to teach you to evaluate protein supplements so you know you’re in safe limits,” Lamb said, and did exactly that.