Unmanned aircraft flying over farms, forests and plant nurseries are not such an unusual sight these days. A lot of research has gone into making the drones more economically beneficial in agriculture, from taking inventory at plant nurseries to spotting early signs of crop stress.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research and extension arms were among the institutions recently recognized for drone research and outreach with the National Excellence in Multistate Research Award.

The honor was presented by the Experiment Station Section of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources.

The award recognizes experiment station scientists who are conducting “exemplary research and outreach efforts across multiple states” for unmanned aircraft system applications in U.S. agriculture and natural resources. Scientists from 23 institutions across the nation share the award for their contributions to the project titled, “Research and Extension for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Applications in U.S. Agriculture and Natural Resources.”

The project is supported by the State Agricultural Experiment Stations from the Hatch Multistate Research Fund provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

James Robbins, a recently retired horticulture professor and extension specialist with the Division of Agriculture, was among the authors of agricultural drone…