L.PDS.1803 - EPDS: Using Dones on-farm to monitor sheep welfare
The use of technology to save time and labour is an increasing area of interest for producers.
| Project start date: | 30 April 2018 |
| Project end date: | 16 June 2023 |
| Publication date: | 01 May 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Sheep, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | Southern Australia |
|
Download Report
(1.5 MB)
|
|
Summary
The use of technology to save time and labour is an increasing area of interest for producers. With drones being used more frequently in agriculture and advertised as the ‘next best tech tool farmers should have’, the Boort BWBL farmers wanted to see if a drone could be used to check sheep welfare during lambing whilst saving time. There was little to no information available about using drones to check on livestock, particularly sheep. To fill this knowledge gap, the Boort farmers decided to evaluate drone practicality and usefulness by monitoring sheep welfare at lambing and at other critical times in the year to see if the technology reduced time and labour costs normally associated with these tasks.
There was no proforma to suggest which drone might best suit the needs of the farmers or how to use one around sheep. Drone suppliers and farmer observations during the course of the trial were thus relied upon to identify the most appropriate drone and process for checking/monitoring sheep welfare.
Nine producers from the Boort group were directly involved in the trial. With lambing occurring from autumn through to spring, the drones were moved from one property to the next according to their lambing schedule.
Objectives
The overall objective was to assess the practical use of drones to remotely monitor sheep welfare during lambing and at different times in the year. This was to identify if the technology reduced time and labour costs usually associated with these tasks. In addition, the findings were to be extended amongst the group and to the broader public.
The on-farm demonstration successfully increased the farmers’ knowledge, skills and confidence in using the drone and allowed them to identify what jobs it could perform on-farm and its limitations. The trial demonstrated, however, that using a drone (any of the brands used in the trial) did not reduce the time and labour costs associated with checking ewe and lamb welfare during lambing due to the camera, battery and farmer limitations.
The trial achieved significant extension success with local, national and international media and farmer and industry interest, thus providing a platform to inform people about the usefulness of drones on-farm to check sheep welfare at lambing.
Key findings
More than 150 videos were recorded from the drones across three lambing periods (2019, 2020, 2021) and two summer periods (2019,2020). Video footage from the drones clearly showed when sheep were standing still or moving in response to the drone and at what height or speed this occurred.
Sheep generally ignored the drone was at a distance or when the drone was more than 30 metres overhead and travelling slowly or hovering. The sheep moved away from the drone when it was travelling at speed at any height, which the farmers believed was due to the sound of the drone. In the final year of the trial, farmers approached ewes and lambs with the drone at a lower height (8-15 meters) to see if they would ignore the drone. The sheep were observed to not move away from the drone if approached very slowly.
Unfortunately, the drone cameras used in this trial could not zoom; hence, the drone needed to be lowered until ground-level items could be clearly seen, which could trigger the sheep’s flight response. Newer drones now have cameras that can zoom, which may negate the need to lower the drone and disturb the sheep.
The demonstration also looked at whether drones could enable more frequent sheep welfare checks and offered any labour savings. Newer drones like the DJI drones can travel up to 5 km from the operator, although it is a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) requirement that the operator must always have ‘visual line-of-sight. Due to the large paddock size, some of the Boort lambing paddocks exceeded the visual line-of-sight requirement.
The economic outcomes of an investment in a drone to reduce labour and vehicle costs were assessed using partial discounted cash flow budgets over five years. The results showed that an investment in a drone was less profitable than an alternative investment earning 5% for labour-saving scenarios of 0, 5 and 15 minutes compared to using a car.
Benefits to industry
The benefits and limitations of drones for checking sheep welfare at lambing were identified. The results from the trial indicate aspects to consider when looking to purchase a drone (i.e. camera – does it zoom?) and how best to fly it around sheep. This information and knowledge did not previously exist, perhaps why it created so much interest in the demonstration. Nevertheless, the drones in their current format may be of great value in hilly regions or in spots that are difficult to access in other ways or be used on farms with smaller paddocks.
Today, drone technology has progressed to a point where some of the limitations identified in the trial would not exist. The technological advances seen in drones today may have been the catalyst for farmers to adopt this technology. For example, drone cameras have zoom capability, enabling the farmer to fly the drone quickly at height and still have a good view of ground-level items. Furthermore, new drones can fly for up to 45 minutes compared to the trials 15 minutes.
MLA action
MLA continues to deliver the Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) program, supporting livestock producers working in peer-to-peer groups to pursue new skills, knowledge and management practices applicable to their own commercial livestock production systems.
Future research
Overall the demonstration found that the drones used in this trial can be used to undertake some tasks on-farm quickly and effectively, such as water trough checks. They can be used to check ewe and lamb welfare at lambing, but in this trial, the lack of zoom ability on the camera, limited battery life. Loss of visual line-of-sight in some of the large lambing paddocks also impacted their overall usefulness to perform this task.
With drone advancements in technology, future research should look to support new drone on-farm trials to determine if the newer technology can save farmers labour and time to check sheep welfare at lambing in the same environment or determine if it is better suited to farms with smaller or hilly paddocks.
More information
| Project manager: | Alana McEwan |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
| Primary researcher: | Department of Energy Env & Climate |
