USA - New farming law would expand use of drones for agriculture in Connecticut

A bill that recently passed as a law will expand the use of drones for agricultural purposes in Connecticut.

Drones have become popular over the years, from recreational use to business use.

Business owners have used drones to take photos of work for selling homes, promoting new businesses and more. Even law enforcement uses drones to conduct investigations and to take photos at events.

The new state law will now expand the use of drones by farmers for agricultural purposes.

According to Senator Jeff Gordon (R) of the 35th district, who represents the towns of Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington and Woodstock, this is a topic he has heard about from farmers.

″For them to be able to leverage existing and future drone technologies provides them benefits to better plant crop seeds and to increase harvest yields and to better use pesticides in more cost-effective and environmentally friendly ways,″ Gordon said.

Initially, the drone rules were proposed as a standalone bill, but Gordon said they were merged into a larger bill during the Legislative session and became Public Act 25.152.

″The drone technology is there to do these things,″ Gordon said. ″I expect the technology to get better and better in the future and for farmers to be able to benefit from the technology.″

Gordon added farmers using drones would need to comply with FAA regulations and obtain licenses.

The new law will give the agriculture commissioner the power to set limits on the types and amounts of chemicals used, where spraying can happen, and the conditions under which drones can fly, including wind, weather and hours of operation.

Farmers who wish to operate in crowded areas will need approval from the local health department. There are also limits on spraying near older residential buildings unless the property owners sign off.

Existing Connecticut regulations on aerial spraying were written before drones became a tool for farmers. This new law, which was passed, will direct state regulators to update those rules by March 1.

The new law will allow drones to plant seeds, analyze crops and apply and treat pesticides and fertilizers.

Under the bill, this authority would apply only to licensed commercial or private pesticide applicators who are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)- licensed to operate those precision drones.

″I have a long track record of supporting local agriculture, including my many years as chairman of Woodstock’s Planning & Zoning Commission, now as a State Senator and as a member of the CT Farm Bureau,″ Gordon said. ″I continue to meet with, listen to, and work with farmers and those who work in agriculture because the more we can do to help them, the more we can do to provide sustainable and healthy food sources.″