AUBURN, Ala. —Drones may be controversial for use in military and national security matters, but the unmanned aerial vehicles are poised to revolutionize agriculture, and those who attend the 2014 Ag Discovery Adventure Saturday, Sept. 13, at Auburn University’s E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter will have the chance to witness firsthand why and how that’s expected to happen.
Drone demonstrations are among the many entertaining activities lined up for the third annual Ag Discovery Adventure, set from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the research unit, located between Montgomery and Auburn at Interstate 85’s Exit 26.
The event, which is free and open to all, is co-hosted by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University’s College of Agriculture to increase public awareness of 21st-century agriculture.
“Ag Discovery Adventure provides education around how our food and fiber are produced today and the science and technology needed to help the ag industry meet the future demand of the world population,” said John Fulton, Auburn biosystems engineering professor, Extension precision agriculture specialist and co-chair of the event.
In addition to the drone flights, the event also will feature a corn maze, insect hunts, a pumpkin patch, farm tours, a pollination garden, a livestock barn, a chick-hatching display and demonstrations by Auburn’s bomb-sniffing Vapor Wake detection dogs.
Attendees can bring picnic lunches or purchase food from various vendors, including Auburn’s Collegiate Cattlemen and Cattlewomen.
Co-sponsors of Ag Discovery Adventure include the Alabama Cotton Producers, Alabama Soybean Producers, Alabama Wheat and Field Grain Producers, Alabama Poultry and Egg Association, Alabama Farmers Federation and Alabama Cattlemen’s Association.
The rain date for the event is Saturday, Oct. 18.
For more information, visit the Ag Discovery Adventure website, call 334-844-4768 or email agstusv@auburn.edu.