The use of drones in agriculture has the potential to make the industry more efficient and more innovative. But when it comes to spray drones, using them without the proper authorization has legal ramifications.
A session on spray drones and emerging agtech regulations was such a popular topic at EMILI’s 2025 Agriculture Enlightened conference, that EMILI is bringing the panelists together again for a free lunch-time webinar during MB Tech Week.
At Agriculture Enlightened 2025, Erika Carrasco, emerging technology lawyer with MLT Aikins and Kevin Falk, field modernization scientist with Corteva Agriscience, which is currently conducting spray drone trials at EMILI’s Innovation Farms, shared the stage to discuss the regulatory process for spray drones and what the future of drone use in agriculture could look like.
Carrasco and Falk spoke about the rigorous, multi-layered application process required to fly a spray drone in Canada, and the importance of having a good dialogue with the regulatory bodies – Transport Canada and Health Canada – throughout the process. Carrasco touched on the risks and liabilities of using a spray drone without having the proper authorization, and noted that it is a long path to regulation, but what drives it is industry, and the work that chemical companies are doing to push the path forward.
Falk said he thinks the future of drone use is exciting, noting that the technology is improving quickly and that there are drones that can cover up to 70 acres in an hour.
“There’s a lot happening really fast, and I think the future is really bright,” said Falk. “Just the different use cases for looking at range and pasture land where you can’t get a regular drone in there, or if your field’s too wet and you can’t spray, or if you don’t want to trample … there’s definitely some great use cases and with the technical change that’s happening, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
Carrasco also highlighted the use of drones for tasks other than spraying.
“It’s incredible what can be done just to make agriculture more efficient, more innovative just by using drones to capture data that would normally take days or hours to capture, and to make sure that things are progressing the way that you want them to be progressing.”
EMILI’s Innovation Farms Manager Leanne Koroscil will be joining Falk and Carrasco as a panelist in February to share her perspective on this research and the importance of having data from Innovation Farms contributing to this research.
“Corteva has already seen success having one herbicide application approved by Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. The next step is to have one approved for use in agriculture,” said Koroscil. “This project is laying the groundwork for a better understanding of how spray drone applications impact crops and could be an important milestone for spray drone use in Canada.”
EMILI’s free webinar is taking place on Wednesday, February 25. This is a great opportunity to learn about spray drone trials taking place on Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert, as well as the legal ramifications of using spray drones in agriculture and recent changes to drone legislation. Register today.