Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Joanna Partridge

Dawn of the drone age: how agri-tech is boosting production and morale

He crouches next to a big drone in the middle of a green field
Tom Amery, managing director at The Watercress Company in Hampshire, with one of his drones, which are currently grounded. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian

“The idea came from an Instagram video,” says Tom Amery, looking admiringly at one of three huge drones he has bought to help grow watercress on a Hampshire farm.

The drone boasts four sets of rotary blades and is able to carry up to 50kg of fertiliser, seed or feed for spreading or spraying, and is the product of several years of meticulous research by Amery, often using the unlikely corners of social media dedicated to agricultural technology.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.