Resources
Useful Information for Central Alberta Farmers Thinking About Drone Technology.
September 2, 2026
Hire a Drone Spreading Service vs Buy a DJI Agras T50
Should an Alberta farm hire custom drone granular spreading or buy its own DJI Agras T50? This works through the break-even the way the UAV AG ROI calculator does — after-rebate capital amortized over three years and spread across annual acres, plus about $4.50 per acre operating cost, against the $10 to $15 per acre band typical of Alberta custom application — and is honest about what the ownership column leaves out.
Read moreAugust 17, 2026
The DJI Agras T100 Is Back in Stock in Alberta
The DJI Agras T100 is available again through UAV AG. This covers what the 100 L flagship actually does on an Alberta farm right now — high-rate granular spreading and cover-crop seeding — what changes when drone pesticide application clears Canadian approval, how the OFCAF rebate applies, and why the ordering window matters more than the price.
Read moreAugust 11, 2026
When to Fly Cover-Crop Seed On: Timing, Rates and the Records That Matter
Drone cover-crop seeding has two real windows in Central Alberta: into a standing crop before harvest, and straight onto stubble after it. They are not interchangeable. This walks through how to pick the window, why surface-broadcast seed needs a different rate conversation than drilled seed, and what records to keep if the acres are going into an OFCAF claim.
Read moreAugust 11, 2026
Variable-Rate Granular From an NDVI Map: What Is Real and What Is Hype
NDVI shows you where a crop is growing well and where it is not. It does not tell you why, and it does not tell you how much fertilizer to put down. This is the honest chain from imagery to a variable-rate granular pass — what each step can actually support, where ground truth is non-negotiable, and when a flat rate beats a bad prescription.
Read moreJuly 8, 2026
Spring vs Fall Granular Fertilizer Timing on Alberta Grain — and Where a Drone Fits
A plain-language look at fall vs spring granular fertilizer timing on Alberta grain — what each window does well, the loss and logistics trade-offs, and where drone spreading fits when a ground rig cannot get on in time.
Read moreJuly 1, 2026
Top-Dressing a Crop the Floater Can’t Reach
In-season granular top-dressing by drone is the legal, available drone service in Canada today. This is the case for it: the acres and timing windows where a ground floater physically cannot go — wet ground it would rut, and a crop grown too tall to drive through — and why a top-dress that lands on time beats one that lands cheap.
Read moreJuly 1, 2026
Drone Granular Spreading vs a Ground Floater in Alberta
Drone spreading and a ground floater are the two ways to broadcast dry granular product on an Alberta field. This compares them honestly on per-acre cost, compaction, timing and field access, and standing-crop reach — and is clear about when the floater wins outright.
Read moreJune 25, 2026
What Drone Fertilizer Spreading Actually Costs Per Acre in Alberta
Granular fertilizer spreading by drone is the legal, available service in Canada today. Here is what sets the per-acre cost, a worked example with the assumptions shown, and the field conditions where a drone beats a floater.
Read moreJune 25, 2026
Drone Elevation Mapping for Field Drainage and Tile Planning
A drone RTK survey produces a digital elevation model accurate to the centimetre, then a drainage analysis on top of it shows where water sits, where it wants to go, and where tile or surface drainage will pay. Here is what the survey captures, what the deliverable looks like, and how it feeds a tile contractor or a surface-drainage plan in Central Alberta.
Read moreJune 25, 2026
Drone Cover-Crop Seeding vs Broadcast-and-Harrow in Alberta
Drone seeding and broadcast-and-harrow are the two practical no-drill ways to establish a cover crop. This compares them on establishment, timing, soil disturbance, standing-crop access, and cost — and is honest about when the ground rig is the better tool.
Read moreJune 17, 2026
Spray Drones Just Moved a Big Step Closer in Canada
Health Canada's PMRA has issued a Letter of No Objection that opens an interim pathway for applying certain aerial-registered pesticides by drone, ahead of the final PRO2026-01 rule. It is not blanket approval, but it is the clearest signal yet that legal drone spraying in Canada is close.
Read moreJune 1, 2026
Identifying Canola Diseases Early With Drone NDVI on Alberta Farms
Multispectral NDVI from a drone pass surfaces canola disease pressure two to three weeks before visible symptoms. This guide walks through which canola diseases show up on NDVI, the typical Central Alberta scout cadence, and how to translate the map into a fungicide or rogueing decision.
Read moreMay 29, 2026
How to Apply for OFCAF 2026 in Alberta — Step by Step
A plain-language walk-through of the 2026 OFCAF application for an Alberta drone purchase — what to do before you open the ARGO portal, what RDAR wants in the Best Management Practice Action Plan, and how to sequence the agronomist + invoice + cover-crop pass to land the full $20,000 rebate.
Read moreMay 23, 2026
Health Canada Just Proposed Letting Drones Spray Any Aerial-Registered Pesticide
Health Canada's PMRA proposed a class change that would let drones legally apply any pesticide currently registered for conventional aerial application. Consultation closed March 25, 2026. Final rule expected this summer.
Read moreMay 21, 2026
DJI Agras T100 vs T50 vs T25 — Which Drone Fits Your Alberta Farm
The T100, T50, and T25 each suit a different operation profile. This guide compares spray tank, acres per hour, price after OFCAF, and which farm sizes each platform fits.
Read moreApril 20, 2026
Alberta Is Covering Half the Cost of Seeding Drones in 2026
The On-Farm Climate Action Fund now covers 50% of drone purchases tied to cover-crop seeding — up to $20,000 back. Applications open April 10, 2026.
Read more