4-H Drone Day at Arlington

Join us at the Arlington Research Station for a hands-on event exploring how drones, robots, artificial intelligence, and engineering are transforming modern agriculture. Youth in Grades 5 through high school and their families will experience live drone demonstrations, see cutting-edge farm technology in action, learn from UW-Madison experts, and enjoy fun activities like pumpkin painting, veggie art, and station exploration.

Registration is limited to 50 participants. An adult must accompany youth.

REGISTER HERE for 4-H Drone Day At Arlington

Programming information:

Farming with AI: Robots, Drones & More!

Time: 9:30-10:15 am

Zhou Zhang & Zezhong Tian, UW-Madison CALS Department of Biological Systems Engineering

Program description: drone demo and presentation

• See how drones collect information about crops, plants, and fields—and discover how this technology is changing agriculture.
• Discover how artificial intelligence is helping farmers solve problems, make decisions, and work smarter. See real-world examples of AI being used with crops, animals, robots, drones, and food—and learn what the future of farming might look like.

Smart Machines: Engineering the Future of Farming

Time: 10:15-11:00 am

Jeff Nelson, UW-Madison CALS Department of Biological Systems Engineering

Program description: technology and robot demo

• Discover how engineers use electronics, sensors, machinery, and technology to make farming more efficient and precise.
• See how tractors, machines, and precision-agriculture tools work—and explore how engineers are designing the next generation of equipment used on farms.

From Sky to Soil!

Time: 11:00-11:45

Bryce Himmelbrg, UW Madison CALS Department of Plant & Agroecosystems

Program description: drone presentation & demo

• See how large spray drones are programmed and flown to help farmers care for their crops.
• Learn how drones can apply products to fields with precision, reach areas that are difficult to access with traditional equipment, and help farmers manage crops more efficiently.

12:00-12:45 -Stay for crafts, snacks and more! 

• Snacks & drinks will be provided! 
• Paint a pumpkin!
• Explore the Arlington Research Station!
• Veggie art lab!

REGISTER HERE

Parking information: There is free parking onsite

What to bring: water bottle, lunch if you’d like to eat on site *snacks will be provided in the afternoon

What to wear: Dress for the weather as we will be outside. Wear shoes that can get dirty, a hat, bug spray/sunscreen.

If it is raining, this program will need to be rescheduled. We will communicate with everyone on Friday 10/16 with a confirmation.

For questions, please contact Kara (UW CALS) at kara.henderlight@wisc.edu or 865-310-4240

If you need to cancel your registration, please contact 4Hinfo@danecounty.gov or 608-224-3700. We want to have an accurate count for the expert volunteers who are sharing their time with us that day.