BASED in Yackandandah, Mick Swenson is AviAg, a new agriculture enterprise leveraging the technology of drones to drive on-farm efficiencies and boost productivity.
Local and working within the community, Mick travels across the North East covering from Mt Beauty to Tallangatta , Jindera, Corrowa, Wangaratta and Glenrowan and everywhere in between.
Although relatively new to the region, his family ties stretch back generations.
“I have family in Mount Beauty and Wodonga and my nan grew up in Yackandandah in the 1940s,” he said.
“My mum grew up in Gundowring, where my grandparents – her parents - share farmed on a dairy farm and my granddad used to ride the High Country.”
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However, Mick grew up in the city and when he and his partner were keen for a change, it was the North East that beckoned.
“I’ve always loved the region, and back in the day on school holidays I’d come up this way to Wangaratta to visit family on their farm, or head out to Mudgegonga to another relative and help cart hay during the season,” he said.
An electrician by trade, it was a 15-month road trip around Australia that provided the inspiration for Mick and his partner Alice to pack up their lives and move regional.
It was also this same trip that instilled in Mick a passion for drones and a realisation of the technology’s capability especially when it came to the agricultural industry.
And so with a business plan in mind and a vision to harness this new technology to revolutionise traditional agricultural practices, AviAg Drone Services was born.
“The mission was simple – to provide farmers and landowners with advanced drone solutions that optimized efficiency, sustainability and productivity,” Mick said.
“Whether it’s precision crop monitoring, targeted drone spraying and spreading or comprehensive aerial surveys, AviAg delivers tailored services designed to meet the unique needs of each client.”
Offering a range of efficiencies, Mick referred to a recent job he had completed in Gundowring that took him a day and a half with the drone.
Situated on the side of the hill, the countryside was steep and would normally have taken two to three weeks to finish the spray task on foot, according to the landowner.
“It would have been a very physical and labour-intensive process, especially in summer,” said Mick.
“Climbing up and down the hillside, trying to spray the blackberries and you’re getting covered in scratches.
“A lot of the time you are also standing in the zone where you’re spraying so inevitably you’re copping some of the chemicals.
“I can be several hundred metres away controlling the drone, minimising exposure and accessing those parts of the farm you can’t easily negotiate by foot or vehicle.
“I can come in with the drone fly over the top of it all and get the job done in a day,” he said.
Depending on the terrain, Mick can cover between 20 and 60 hectares per day, with the drone capable of holding up to 40 litres of liquid or 50 kilograms of granular per flight, with a turnaround time of roughly 10 to 15 minutes.
The precise application of chemicals, fertilisers and other outputs also minimises waste ensuring comprehensive coverage and treatment, with Mick also confirming the environmental credentials of drone spraying.
Reducing chemical runoff to a minimum through targeted application, overall chemical usage is actually lowered and vital ecosystems can be avoided, ultimately promoting more sustainable agricultural practices.
“I can also work in diverse weather conditions getting the job done when it needs to be done,” Mick said.
“I’ve done a few fertilising jobs where the ground has been too soft or water sodden to use a tractor or truck without destroying the ground, chewing up the paddock and creating big ruts,” he said.
One job the landowner had recently put out seed, and so Mick’s task was a timely one applying spray fertiliser and root boosters to get optimal growth from the pasture with absolutely no crop damage or impact to the ground quality.
Mick’s commitment to delivering the very best outcomes for his clients doesn’t end there.
“We understand the importance of compliance and professionalism in a highly regulated industry,” he said.
“That’s why AviAg has invested time and effort into obtaining all necessary licences and permits, ensuring we operate at the highest standards of safety and legality.”
It’s part of AviAg’s overall commitment to revolutionise agriculture in the North East.
