Drone Videos of Farm Tractors

Contributor and professional drone pilot Stratus Imagery does a good deal of commercial aerial videography of large scale farming operations, primarily in northern England.  In this video, they use a drone to film a New Holland tractor harvesting hay in the region of Lancashire, the area just north of Manchester and Liverpool on England's western coast.  Lancashire was very close to the center of the Industrial Revolution, in part because of the role it had played in the earlier Agricultural Revolution.

Golden wheat fields and lush green hills highlight the sweeping landscapes of Kansas farm country, on the Great Plains of the United States. This amazing drone video shows the beauty of the Kansas plains and the bounty of wheat harvest.  In the video and accompanying description, contributor and drone pilot Doug Armknecht describes how drones allow him to share stunning views of his family farm with the world. This video was selected as a finalist in the 2017 New York City Drone Film Festival.

Only about 3% of the land area of Norway is under cultivation, primarily in the central and southern parts of the country.  While cultivation of wheat and certain other grains has declined, cultivation of oats, used primarily for livestock, has grown dramatically.  Top contributor Hope Norway used a drone to film an oat field being harvested.  This type of aerial footage is extremely helpful in understanding what large scale harvesting looks like. 

While farm mechanization began with the harvesting process, the mechanization of planting is equally important.  Precise planting in order to conserve seed and maximize yield depends on a host of technologies, including high horsepower tractors.  In this video, AirVuz contributor and pilot Kevin Watkins uses a drone to show how the process of mechanized potato planting.  The video was shot in County Gloucestershire in Southwestern England.  This area is home to some of the most productive agricultural lands in the United Kingdom.

Despite an arid climate and relatively high labor costs, Israel has been able to develop a highly productive agricultural sector.  By using diesel fueled tractors, the most labor intensive farming operations - planting and harvesting - can be accomplished far more quickly and with far less labor input.  In this video, contributor Dan Profeta uses a drone to provide a bird's eye view of both the planting and harvesting processes in a grain field in Israel.  

Mechanization of agriculture has been one of the main factors in the stabilization of the food supply in Asia.  Until the mid-20th century, many parts of Asia were highly susceptible to famine due to crop failures and other natural disasters. Nowadays, the greatly improved productivity of the ag sector in Asia has allowed most countries to build sufficient safety stocks.  In this video, contributor Omarladen uses a drone to provide a bird's eye perspective of a rice harvesting tractor in Malaysia.

Kansas is a USA state that lies close to the geographic center of the country.  The western part of the state (by far the majority of its overall land area) is part of the Great Plains.  Western Kansas is one of the principal wheat-growing areas of the USA; it regularly produces well over 300 million bushels of the grain on an annual basis.  Award-winning contributor Doug A used a drone to create this spectacular reel about the landscape of the Sunflower State, whose vast rolling wheatfields are the Breadbasket of America.   

The fall harvest season is equal parts a productive, busy end to the growing season as well as a beautiful celebration of the agricultural fruits of each farmer's labor.  The traditional autumn backdrop is complemented by the bold colors of farm machinery, while the simple, repetitive pattern of tractors clearing each row of vegetation is mesmerizing. The best view for this calming glimpse into primary industry of rural America is just how drone pilot Nathan Jermy captured it - from above.

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Croble FPV made the FPV Pilots to Watch list with his previous upload, in which he dove a waterfall in Australia.  In this piece, he brings us some awesome FPV footage chasing a giant John Deere tractor. This particular model is an R4045 sprayer, which is powered by a 350 horsepower diesel engine and carries a tank with over 4.5L (1.2k gallons) of capacity.  When you watch the video, you'll see why this makes a perfect FPV chase "subject" (hint: ground clearance!).  

Spring is not only the time for flowers to bloom, it is the time for farmers to plant their fields.  In the wealthier countries, this process is invariably mechanized, with large tractors providing the energy required to seed large areas of cultivation.  In this video, top AirVuz contributor and pilot Doug A used a drone to aerially film a John Deere  8420 tractor being used to plant corn and soybeans at LaRosh Farm in Osborn, Kansas in the USA.  This area is on the eastern end of the vast region known as the Great Plains.  

Among the wonders of modern Israel is its agricultural sector: this mostly arid land, with a small farm workforce, is able to supply 95% of the food needs of its 7+ million population.   It's been done with a combination of some of the world's most advanced irrigation techniques and a highly mechanized approach to farming.  In this drone video by contributor AirWorks, you'll get a bird's eye view of the Israeli wheat harvest during the Shevuot holiday, which has roots in part as a harvest festival.  

On this episode of The Drone Dish, Tyler chats with Kansas-based pilot Doug Armknecht. Doug was a finalist in the news/documentary category at the 2017 New York City Drone Film Festival for his film "Beauty & Bounty." He talks with Tyler about that film, what it was like to be a finalist in the festival, and about his favorite parts of showcasing harvesting and other farm activities from a bird's eye perspective.