06/23/06 Scouting drone at World Potato Congress

Farm and Ranch June 23, 2006 A remote controlled drone will be operating over the skies of the World Potato Congress Farm Show this August near Wilder, Idaho. The unit is a scouting drone used by Simplot Grower Solutions and it's equipped with digital still and video cameras enabling the professionals at Simplot Growers Solutions to make recommendations to customers. The drone is expected to operate over the show site and video images will be streamed onto the internet providing the world with a daily live look at activity taking place at the Sixth World Potato Congress Farm Show. There will be plenty of activity at ground level too, as Mark Randal of R&R Productions, the farm show organizer explains. Randal: "Then we will be using about 400 acres to literally harvest potatoes. We will be windrowing. We will be doing tillage work after the fact. There will be demonstrations of irrigation systems. We will be harvesting corn for silage and grain. Another harvest we will be doing on some alfalfa, haying." Randal says there will be plenty of exhibits at the show. Randal: "A very large tent building that will essentially provide the kind of exhibit space you would find in a convention center, the 10 x 10 booths or multiples of. And then there will be a lot of larger exhibits in 50 x 50 feet lots." The World Potato Congress and the farm show are the week of August 20th. For more information and to register visit www.potatofoundation.com That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.