Ol' McDonnell Had a Drone

IL - In January a UPS truck pulled up to the farm of Bill McDonnell north of Ottawa.

McDonnell’s order had come through. It was a brand new Phantom 2 drone, a four-rotor, remote-controlled quad-copter with a camera.

“It’s something I’ve been researching for the past year to see how we can integrate this into our farming operation,” McDonnell said.

Like many cutting-edge technologies in the United States, drones have crossed over from military to domestic use. Military drones appear like airplanes and are used to explore and survey landscapes or deliver missiles and bombs. Domestic drones look more like hobby helicopters and carry small cameras...

This coming season McDonnell plans to survey his corn and soybeans with his Phantom. (more)