Luke Chaplain obviously loves a challenge.
Raised at Malakoff Station on 30,000 hectares of grazing land near Cloncurry, he achieved international success as a saddle bronc rider - but now he has his feet out of the stirrups and his eye on the sky as he calls for agricultural drone use regulation changes.
Mr Chaplain has been focused on his company SkyKelpie which has been trialling drones on cattle properties for locating and mustering livestock as part of a study supported by Meat and Livestock Australia and the Queensland government.
While the aerial drone mustering report has yet to be published, Mr Chaplain said it was the "most sophisticated drone mustering trial of its kind" and the results were positive.
"This works - we proved it last year," he said.
"We validated our assumption and my report will be posted on the MLA website at some stage.
"Drones are a viable aerial mustering solution, so we are really excited about that and now we will work towards widespread adoption."
The trial was conducted around a variety of landscapes and conditions with sheep, cattle and goats and Mr Chaplain found the drones to be cost-effective, efficient and safe for both cattle and people.
"Obviously it takes a person out of the sky," he said.
"It's a lot cheaper, the animals reacted quite well to it, I think it's a good tool to get the animals in a low-stress frame of mind when used correctly.
"And the technology provides a range of benefits with the cameras and payloads available you can achieve clean paddock musters."
Calls for change
Mr Chaplain said while he believes he has proved drones are a solution in mustering and livestock monitoring, Civil Aviation Safety Authority visual line of sight (VLOS) regulations are currently proving an obstacle while working in the unique conditions of piloting over thousands of square kilometres of grazing property.
"Line of sight regulations are a barrier for this solution," he said.
"You are not allowed to fly the drone beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) unless you go through some very complex, extensive and time consuming processes. This is getting land permits, licencing etc.
"At the moment they have the landholder rule which means you can conduct agricultural operations with drones below 400 feet and it has to be your own drone on your own property, but it must be in VLOS the whole time.
"We will be submitting to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority this year a proposed framework that makes the process a lot more streamlined and practical to break down this barrier."
CASA has released a statement saying they are currently "reviewing its BVLOS rules" and are developing an alternative exam and BVLOS aeronautical knowledge standards for BVLOS operations outside of controlled airspace, scheduled to take effect in the first half of 2023.
CASA also stated it has a sub-set of the BVLOS rules known as EVLOS - extended visual line of sight, that may be of benefit to landholders.
North Queensland-based senator and shadow minister for northern Australia Susan McDonald has been closely watching the advances of agricultural drone technology and hopes regulations can also move forward.
"The ability to take new technology like drones for cattle mustering, water monitoring and a range of land management issues is incredibly important," she said.
"In Australia we have these vast open skies, so what we are asking for is that CASA keeps up with changing times and makes suitable regulations to allow for BVLOS operation for drones, for these purposes.
"Approval shouldn't be an expensive, highly regulated process, there should be an understanding of what the appropriate conditions are where drones can operate on private landholders properties. There are regulations that allow for an extended VLOS but that again is putting in restrictions that are not necessary in rural and remote places."
Federal minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government, Catherine King stated the government was aware of stakeholder concerns around BVLOS regulations which are managed by CASA and recognises the opportunities drones present for a range of different sectors, to operate more cheaply, safely and in an environmentally friendly way.
The statement said the government would continue to provide regulatory, policy and other support for individuals, businesses and industry to adopt new and emerging aviation technology and continually review the regulatory frameworks surrounding drone operations, in line with changes in technology while working closely with CASA to review and ensure the BVLOS regulations remain fit-for-purpose.
The SkyKelpie trial was conducted with sheep, goats and cattle around a variety of landscapes and conditions including a 20,235 hectare beef property, Redland Park, in the McKinlay district.
Hannah Smith lives on the family property and said the drone mustering worked well, but feels having the right technology and drone skills was vital for success in the paddock.
"Where we are is open downs country so it's not necessarily difficult mustering," she said.
"So the river paddock is the only place where you could miss cattle or it is more logistically difficult with the gullies, so it was helpful there.
"Luke (Chaplin) and I headed out with the ute and everyone was on bikes and they were a bit redundant for a while because Luke managed to whiz around the paddock and get the cattle moving along the creek and see we had them all.
"We have our own drone and have tried to do it but Luke's set-up was much better, he had a big screen and could clearly see, so in our experience we would probably have a more negative view if we hadn't seen how Luke did it."
Drone mustering explained
Mr Chaplain said drone mustering worked on the same principals of traditional and aerial mustering techniques of applying pressure and release to the herd to move them in the required direction.
He also said the drones sensors helped them avoid obstacles in the field.
"I explain it as it's just another form of pressure, like a motorbike, helicopter or horse," he said.
"And everything has a different range of pressure, a helicopter has quite a presence, with a drone you just approach them and it's just another form of pressure they move away from."
"It's pretty hard to crash them, I have had a fair go at it and they are pretty robust."
He also said the technology was continuing to evolve to meet industry requirements and senors helped the drones avoid obstacles.
Mr Chaplain was named the 2022 Nuffield Scholar for his work in ag-tech and will soon travel to Asia to consult with drone manufactures.
