Crop Insurer Approved To Test Drones In Field

Archer Daniels Midland Co plans to use drones to gather data on crop insurance claims as soon as the summer of 2016, its risk services head told Reuters on Wednesday. ADM’s Crop Risk Services Inc won clearance to use drones earlier this month from the Federal Aviation Administration, which currently bans their commercial use, and will begin testing the technology in the U.S. Midwest this year. The unmanned aircraft can gather data about crop damage from hail, wind, flooding and drought, and automatically upload the information to the company’s claims software, Greg Mills, president of ADM CRS, said in a telephone interview.