Meet the drone pioneers: Auto Spray Systems

Moonrock meets Andy Sproson , COO and Co-Founder of AUTO SPRAY SYSTEMS INC and learns more about the opportunities for drones in the agricultural space.

When did you set-up Auto Spray Systems?

I already had drone experience because I developed a (CAA Recognised assessment entity) called Pigs Can Fly, along with Scott Dowell, back in 2016 when we saw that individuals were using drones more and more for things like building surveys and filming so we offered training.

We then linked up with Robert Pearson and his business Heroic Vision in 2019. We could see the market developing and changing and firms were bringing drone operators inhouse. It was a signal to us to develop and diversify the business. We could keep the training element but the service element was being eroded by market changes. We were considering the options here when Covid-19 hit in 2020 which got us thinking about the capabilities of drones more widely.

We did some research on how drones were being used and noticed there was a gap for heavy-duty drones being used for farming. Initially, lots of people laughed at the idea of drone use in agriculture but we’re inundated with enquiries now.

How are drones developing the agricultural market?

What it does is to offer the sector a whole new application method for task such as seeding, crop-spraying and monitoring. It is helping the industry move on from boom-sprayers or having someone physically go into a field to complete the work.

The sector hasn’t developed these methods significantly since tractors started to be widely used in the early 20th century. Using drones allows farmers access to places where tractors can’t go and it can allow them to be much more precise when applying sprays such as pesticides, that’s really important as pesticides are highly regulated. For example, farmers can use drones to identify a section of field that's been attacked by pests and target any treatment to that particular area rather than just blanket spraying the whole the whole crop.

What other applications are there?

Seeding is another action drones can help with. Some crops are vulnerable to pests at an early stage of growth but are protected when around older crops which act as a deterrent – wheat for example. ?By planting between older crops the farmer can protect vulnerable seedlings.

Are drones just being used in agriculture?

There are also massive opportunities in horticulture. For crops like strawberries, we’re looking at greenhouses that might be nearing a kilometre long.? One of the things horticulturalists have to do is paint the roof of these greenhouses to stop them becoming too hot, then, later in the season when the weather cools down, they have to strip that paint off again.

Historically, this meant a crew of people physically having to climb the delicate structure putting themselves and the property at risk of an accident. Using a drone instead means the job can be completed more quickly with less chance of an accident or injury. It’s often overlooked, but it also means paint can be applied more consistently because we’re using a machine.?

It’s also becoming popular in forestry. If you’re looking to reseed an area that’s hard for people to get to, such as a very steep hill, we can lay down up to two hundred (200,000,000 million seeds in just 40 minutes.

"Using a drone instead means the job can be completed more quickly with less chance of an accident or injury"

What are the challenges in using drones for agricultural purposes?

We’re very careful about how we discuss pesticides for obvious reasons. It’s highly regulated. We’ve developed ‘drift studies’ to prove how far anything we spray is going to travel and this will allow the approval of several Drone Aerial Permits to apply pesticides this year.

We’re also regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Health & Safety Executive. Both regulators have been really helpful in terms of supporting innovation.

The final hurdle is introducing this new application method to farmers and growers who have done things in the same way for generations. We try to move past this by highlighting use cases, demonstrating usage and proving efficacy. For example, our application rates are something like 10 hectares per hour or even 20 hectares per hour if we're spreading something like slug pellets.

You’re also still a training organisation?

We’re approved by the Civil Aviation Authority to train other pilots to for agricultural drone use. It’s an important part of our business as the market grows. We built our training procedures around our operational safety case.

Was finding the right insurance a barrier at first – how did Moonrock help?

When we first started looking a product didn’t exist for what we wanted to do. We were able to pick up the phone to the Moonrock team and they were able to create and build the non-standard cover we needed to move forward. It was a really quick, smooth, reassuring process.

What is next for your business?

We’ve got lots in the pipeline. One area we are keen to develop, as regulations change, is beyond visual line of sight operations. Our mission is to keep influencing and make use of drones more common across agricultural, horticultural and forestry markets.