KEOSAUQUA, Iowa -- The annual Van Buren County Pasture Walk is set for Aug. 1 at 5:30 p.m. and will be hosted by Sid and Sparky Wellman.
This year the pasture walk will also be a crop walk featuring the use and regulations around using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in crops and pastures.
“UAVs are gaining a lot of interest in agriculture, and can help give us a perspective of our crop fields and pastures we haven’t really been able to see before, “said Rebecca Vittetoe, extension field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We are really just starting to scratch the surface about what these technologies might be able to offer.”
The event will start out at the Bentonsport Shelter house with a meal grilled by the Van Buren County Cattlemen and served by the Jolly Trio 4-H Club. The crop and pasture walk will include an overview of UAV technology and regulations and a trip to the Wellman’s pasture to discuss uses of UAVs in pastures and crop fields.
The pasture walk is open to the public and has a $5 registration fee to help cover the meal. Please RSVP to the Van Buren County Extension Office at 319-293-3039 by July 28.
Directions: The Bentonsport Shelter House is located at 22098 Hawk Drive, Bentonsport, IA. From Keosauqua go south out of town on Hwy 1. Turn east onto County Rd J40 for about 6 miles.
For additional information or if you have questions, please contact Rebecca Vittetoe at 319-653-4811 or email rka8@iastate.edu or contact Patrick Wall at 515-450-7665 or email patwall@iastate.edu.
Sponsors for the crop and pasture walk are the Van Buren County Cattlemen, ISU Extension and Outreach Van Buren County, First Iowa State Bank, Farmers & Traders Savings Bank, Van Buren County Farm bureau, and Libertyville Savings Bank.
PHOTO: Aeiral view, courtesy of J.Craig Williams, Penn State Extension