CattleWomen’s Corner

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We will prevail by helping those in need and each other!

By Oregon CattleWomen’s President Jenny Coelho

OCW News

What is going to be the new normal? If you grew up in the farming or ranching business as young children, you may remember your parents or elders constantly saying to you, “go outside and play, go outside and do your chores, go outside and help dad or mom change the irrigation or

move the cows to the next pasture.” We in agriculture have been fortunate, even though we may not have thought so as a child, of living the outdoor life to the fullest. We know how to practice social distancing, not because we had to, but because that was our way of life. You cannot gather a bunch of cattle on horseback standing within six feet of each other. Not to mention you were also hoping your cow dogs would really do what they were supposed to do in getting ahead and turning the cattle at the right spot to get them to go through the gate. That was our normal summer activities then and still are our normal activities today as farmers and ranchers. We have traditional values we pass on from generation to generation that are essential to feeding the general population of America and for most of the world. Our Junior CattleWomen are a prime example of carrying on these traditions that are so important within our industry. I am very proud of our Junior CattleWomen Committee Chair Heidi Gorden, who organized our juniors and had them put together a short video thanking American beef producers for producing and providing our very essential product “Beef” to consumers. You can view the video on the Oregon CattleWomen Facebook page and on the RFDTV and the Cowboy Channel Facebook pages. Way to go Junior CattleWomen! Summer activities for OCW are going to be limited for in-person meetings, but behind the scenes your officers and committee chairs are still working away. In the month of March there were several Authorization Requests (ARs) done by OCW officers, committee chairs and county affiliates from across the state submitted to the Oregon Beef Council for 2021 activities for educational and www.orcattle.com | Oregon Cattleman

promotional events. We expect to know the results of the ARs and who will be awarded for those activities sometime in June. Due to the virtual world of Zoom and teleconferencing this would be a good time to start planning on how we will implement those projects for 2021. As county affiliates, it is going to be very important to keep your membership in the loop as to what you have planned and if we continue to have this “new normal” on how we will do our events and activities. It is important to continue our work and message of educating and promoting our great product to the public. We know that the general consumer prefers beef and we need to focus on how to get more information out to the consumers about the great value of our product and why we as cattle producers are so important. The producer is the grassroots to the beef industry, and we are the essential caretakers of the beginning of the “Beef Lifecycle”. So, Oregon CattleWomen be creative and come up with some “out of the box” ideas that will educate and promote our industry!

OCW Membership contest is underway again for 2020. Now, more than ever, it is important that we as producers support our own local, state and national organizations. It is very easy to join as a new member or renew your membership at the www.orcattlewomen.org website. Ken Tew, of Ag Insurance, has generously donated a saddle for the Oregon CattleWomen Membership Round-up this year. The county affiliate that has the greatest increase in new Oregon CattleWomen membership will get to take home this beautiful handmade saddle. This is also an opportunity to have more helping hands and support for your local organization and assist new county affiliates get started within our state.

Klamath County CattleWomen, Klamath Cattlemen’s Association and OCW generously donated a total of $1,260.00 in OCW Beef Gift Certificates to the Klamath and Lake counties Food Bank. The Executive Director Niki Sampson, called and said the Food Bank was in need of beef for the people who have been laid off from their jobs or who had to close their businesses due to the shelter in place order for COVID-19. Niki said there has been a 70 percent increase in food demand in the month of April in comparison to one year ago. Klamath and Lake counties are in the top five counties in the state with an increased poverty level. The beef gift certificates will be used by the Food Bank to purchase hamburger and will go directly to the consumer. The Food Bank helps the elderly that cannot go out, cancer patients that need quality wholesome food and our community patrons who do not have enough to feed their family during the pandemic. The Klamath County CattleWomen donated $260.00, the Klamath Cattlemen’s Association donated $500.00 and the OCW donated $500.00. We are grateful to our Klamath County affiliates for supporting their community with our wholesome nutritious product!

OCW Mid-Year Business Meeting- to be announced either virtually or possibly in person later this summer. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has decided to cancel their in-person meeting, previously scheduled on the Oregon coast in July. •

ANCW Mid-Year Business Meeting Gaylord of the Rockies in Aurora, Colorado on July 28-29, 2020.

Above Niki Sampson, Executive Director of the Klamath and Lake county Food Bank and OCW President Jenny Coelho.

Below Klamath County CattleWomen’s President Melissa Ladner and

Klamath County Cattlemen’s President Stan Gorden.

Drone Use on the Ranch: Is it Right for You?

Chris Schachtschneider, Livestock & Rangeland Field Faculty. OSU – Umatilla and Morrow Counties. Juliana Ranches, Assistant Professor & Extension Beef Specialist. OSU - Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center. Kristine Buckland, Assistant Professor & Vegetable and Specialty Crop Specialist. OSU – North Willamette Research and Extension Center

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are becoming more and more popular with many applications available. Currently, many livestock producers are using UAVs for a variety of tasks on the ranch. From checking fences to moving cattle, people are finding infinite ways to utilizes UAVs on their operations. But just because it is possible, is it the right fit for every ranch? In this article, we will discuss the main components within the decision-making process of utilizing UAVs on your place.

Program Goals

The first decision on whether or not UAV use is right for your operation is to identify what tasks it would be utilized for. Currently, producers are using UAVs to check water, fence lines, supplements, and livestock. Some are even using their UAVs to move cattle in rough country. Once the goals of your UAV program are identified, the next steps are to see what UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) best fits those needs.

Unmanned Aerial Systems can range from fairly simple to complex systems that include: • The aircraft • Camera and/or other attachments for data collection • Software and data analysis

After a suitable UAS is found, the feasibility of its operation within your ranch is critical. The total cost of a UAS may be a limiting factor for some operators. Cost can vary from $1,400 to $10,000 plus, depending on the needs and capabilities. An alternative to reduce the cost with equipment purchase is to look for used equipment, as often one can find dependable equipment in a considerably lower price range.

When searching the best equipment for your operation, it is important to consider the weather and the location, as heavy timber may make navigating and seeing difficult or checking a fence line that is 5 miles from the nearest access point, may prove difficult to maintain line of sight.

Staffing and Regulations

Each pilot will need to obtain and maintain a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license to legally fly for commercial purposes. For this reason, the ranch should consider having either one person dedicated to flying when needed, or a team of qualified pilots. There is a time commitment to studying and passing the FAA certificate exam, as well as learning to operate a UAV effectively. Pilots are required to be 16 years or older, understand English (international language of flight), and be in a physical and mental state to fly a UAV. The summary of small unmanned aircraft rule (part 107) outlines the restrictions and requirements for UAV use. Main restrictions are that a waiver is required from FAA for any of the following: not maintaining visual sight of the UAV, flying over people, flying over 400ft, flying at night, and not giving way to other aircraft. Waivers are awarded on a case by case basis and can take months to process, so do not anticipate a waiver as you are building your UAS program (see regulations at end of article).

Equipment

There are many options of UAVs on the market with a wide variety of features and combinations of features that can be incorporated to the equipment to improve its use. There are two main types of UAV, fixed and rotatory wing. The fixed wing is often simpler equipment with less complicated maintenance and repairs. However, it requires a runway or launcher for takeoff and landing, and it lacks the ability to hover. The rotatory wing has blades that revolve around a fixed mast, which is known as a rotor. The greatest advantage of rotary UAVs is the ability for takeoff and landing vertically. Additionally, the capacity to hover and perform agile maneuvering makes rotary wing UAV well suited to applications like inspections, and therefore is often preferred by livestock producers.

The main features generally advertised with any UAV are battery life, ground speed, camera, payload capacity, and safety features. Battery life seems to be the most limiting factor in UAS programs, as this drastically limits the time and distance to be covered. Camera capability is another important factor as poor camera quality can make operation difficult in discerning specific areas, objects, or animals. Safety features that may be beneficial would be lights for night operation (if a night flight waiver is obtained; see Table 1), collision avoidance if in forested or similar terrain, and parachute (loss of battery when returning home). These features are relatively inexpensive compare to the UAV and can reduce maintenance cost tremendously.

From a Rancher’s Perspective

We discussed the use of UAV with some ranchers that have been using UAV in their operations in the last couple years and here are some of their thoughts:

Advantages

Ranchers in Oregon are currently finding UAV use effective at locating cattle, checking water and fence lines, and to monitor wildlife. In rough terrain, ranchers have found that UAV use has helped gather cattle where horse or ATV use can be dangerous or not possible. In one reported case, personnel on horses were moving cattle down in the valley bottom towards the corral while the UAV operator moved cattle down to the horseman. Given the size and roughness of the country, it could have taken two extra days and many more riders to accomplish the same task, therefore resulting in labor and time saving.

Disadvantages

Like most things is life, UAV have disadvantages as well. The cost to get started and battery life seem to be the two main concerns producers express thus far. Many of the more affordable UAV packages have about 15-20 minutes of battery life in flight, which can be drastically reduced with wind. Larger battery capacity tends to be one of the factors that greatly increases the price with most UAV packages. Weather is another mitigating factor as strong adverse weather can ground a UAV which may not be optimal timing for the tasks that need to be accomplished that day. Cost and time associated with studying and passing the FAA certification was the final difficult piece producers expressed. The test is not inherently difficult itself but does require some dedicated time to prepare.

Lessons Learned

From all the ranchers we have visited with about UAV, these are the primary take home points many wanted to express for other operators: • The more you fly, the more you will see the advantages – just like riding a horse or planting a field, there is an art of the job that needs to be developed through practice. The feel and timing of being effective with the tool will take time to master and the better the operator is, the more can be accomplished with the tool. • Using goggles makes it much easier to fly – goggles enable the operator to better see the camera screen without sun glare and other distractions. • Understanding livestock is very important for the pilot – stockmanship principles still apply when utilizing a UAV. Coupling the ability of a UAV to move quickly and in a way

that can be unfamiliar to livestock, operators need to be aware of the way a UAV can cause a reaction from livestock and horses. • Sometimes it does not go as planned – putting a new tool to work for you is a learning experience, so be patient with yourself. • Depending on the goal of your task, having horses and dogs ready can be helpful – having a backup plan that you know is effective can prove beneficial, especially as you learn to use the new UAV system.

Wrapping it up

UAVs are not for every operation but can be greatly beneficial for the ones who are wanting to put in the time to learn this new technology. To date, the benefits expressed by ranchers who are currently using UAVs on their operation outweigh the problems. This technology is relatively new to the livestock industry and its capabilities will only become more advantageous as it is developed.

You Want to …

Fly UAS from a moving aircraft or vehicle in populated areas: § 107.25 – Operation from a Moving Vehicle or Aircraft

Fly UAS at night: § 107.29 – Daylight Operations Fly UAS beyond your ability to clearly determine its orientation with unaided vision: § 107.31 – Visual Line of Sight Aircraft Operation Using a visual observed without following all visual observer requirements: § 107.33 – Visual Observer Fly multiple UAS with only 1 remote pilot: § 107.35 – Operation of Multiple Small UAS

Want to learn more?

If you are planning to take your FAA license, Oregon State University has some great material to help you prepare for the exam. You can register for the online training “FAA Drone Pilot Part 107 Test Preparation” at: https://workspace.oregonstate.edu/course/ faa-drone-pilot-part-107-test-preparation.

Additionally, a survey was developed to understand the current use of UAV in agriculture, as well as to gauge the intent of use of such technology. This survey will help us to better prepare for an event about the use of UAV in agriculture. Please respond to the survey regardless if you use UAV or not.

You can respond to the survey using this link: https://oregonstate.qualtrics. com/jfe/form/SV_0obIdJTyQU8RhAh or using the QR code with the camera of your phone. •

Fly a UAS without having to give way to other aircraft: § 107.37(a) – Yielding Right of Way Fly a UAS over a person/people: § 107.39 – Operation Over People Fly UAS: • over 100 miles per hour groundspeed; • over 400 feet above ground level (AGL); • with less than 3 statute miles of visibility; • within 500 feet vertically or 2000 feet horizontally from clouds.

§ 107.51 – Operating limitations for Small Unmanned Aircraft