Weed department looks to the sky

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

UMATILLA COUNTY – The Umatilla County Weed Department has been given the green light to request proposals for purchasing a drone. What do drones have to do with weeds? The department has informed the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners drones can make a big difference in fighting invasive plants.

“The biggest piece is the speed in which the drones can get the spraying done and also spraying in areas where they haven’t been able to spray before,” Commissioner John Shafer said.

The department has budgeted $35,000 for the purchase of a drone. Shafer likened the use of a drone for weed control to precision agriculture.

“They can get to virtually inches of where they want to be,” Shafer said. “We’re talking inches versus feet and yards. It’s a lot more efficient if you were to spray with a drone than it would be if you were sitting there in a side-by-side with a hand sprayer.”