Case Study
Seeing stress before the eye can
In 2024 we paired weekly drone flights with a network of soil probes across our vegetable blocks. Imaging flags subtle canopy changes — early blight, nitrogen hunger, dry pockets — days before they show to a walking scout.
Each Monday the crew gets a one-page map: green rows to leave alone, amber rows to check, red rows to treat. Spray passes fell by a third while marketable yield held steady.
Scope
46 acres of vegetables
Season
2024 – ongoing
Challenge → Approach → Outcome
How the season played out
The Challenge
Blight was reaching tomatoes before scouts spotted it, and irrigation ran on fixed timers regardless of rain.
The Approach
Weekly imaging flights, twelve moisture probes and a simple red-amber-green map the crew actually reads.
The Outcome
A third fewer spray passes, steadier irrigation and a crew that trusts the map on Monday mornings.