Yea farmer Wayne Lording sits on his verandah, sips a cuppa and sends his drone to check the horses and cows.

A qualified helicopter pilot, Mr Lording is also building Australia’s first agriculture-specific drone.

‘‘Farmers have got to look at better and more cost-effective ways to manage their properties and drones are the best way to do it,’’ Mr Lording said on Thursday.

Mr Lording hopes to equip the $5000 drone with many small cameras and a small tank to spray weeds.

The Yea-based farmer often uses drones to check his cattle, saving time going out on horseback, by tractor, or car.

‘‘Sometimes I just sit on the back verandah having a cuppa. I’ll send the drone out to look at the water troughs and see if the horses are okay. That saves me a lot of time,’’ he said.

He is still looking at ways to extend the drone’s 30-minute flight time.

‘‘Flight times are the biggest problem for agriculturalists,’’ he said.

Originally Published by Country News, continue reading here.