EMILI’s upcoming MBTech Week webinar focuses on spray drones and agtech regulations

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.”