AGRICULTURE & FARMING · SELECTION GUIDE
Compare Mavic 3M crop monitoring and Matrice 4T farm inspection around the evidence you need: field variability, repeat survey records or thermal observation.
For spraying, spreading or agricultural lifting, use our DJI Agras selection guide and Agras aircraft and package range. This article covers monitoring and inspection rather than material application.
Evidence reviewed 3 November 2026 · Ireland
Three routes. Start with your farm task.
Application images and equipment references; not Irish Drone farm trial results.
The practical answer
Shortlist the Mavic 3 Multispectral for collecting crop imagery for a defined processing and field-checking workflow. Evaluate the Matrice 4T when the task calls for thermal and visible observation. Within our Mavic 3M packages, choose the correction-source arrangement and support you need: AG-01 and AG-02 use the same aircraft and battery total. This guide compares the three confirmed Irish Drone agriculture packages, with a practical trial before committing to a workflow.
Choose the farm question before the aircraft
Write the decision that follows the flight in one sentence. Do you need to locate unusual crop areas for a field visit, build a comparable record across visits, or observe an animal or farm asset from an appropriate position? Give the resulting evidence a named reviewer and an action owner.
| The job you need to organise | First route to evaluate | What to establish before buying |
|---|---|---|
| Crop imagery and a field-variability record | Mavic 3M capture workflow | Compatible processing, a useful output and field checks |
| Crop capture with your own correction base | Mavic 3M + D-RTK 3 workflow | Supported mode, base coordinates and a demonstrated handover |
| Farm thermal and visible observation | Matrice 4T workflow | Target visibility, responsible observation and a ground follow-up |
| A validated agronomic or veterinary conclusion | Professional review alongside appropriate evidence | The qualifications, method and service actually required |
The table is an editorial shortlist. Acreage and the word “professional” in a package name cannot establish whether the intended evidence will be useful. Request a representative demonstration of your own task.
Crop monitoring: plan the Mavic 3M data workflow
The Mavic 3M combines RGB capture with green, red, red-edge and near-infrared multispectral cameras. Its multispectral channels are different from a thermal camera. [1]
For a crop visit, start with an annotated field plan and a question for the person who will inspect the field. Agree how an image observation will be found again on the ground. Keep an ordinary reference area as well as any unusual-looking area, and make a note of crop stage, recent work and what changed between visits.
A useful demonstration should carry one dataset through to the agreed output and a field discussion. Ask which parts are supplied as equipment, which require customer software and who interprets the observations. The crop guide expands that workflow. Read the crop monitoring guide →
Own-base fieldwork: decide how corrections will be supplied
Both Mavic 3M packages include the aircraft RTK module. AG-02 adds a D-RTK 3 Multifunctional Station, survey pole and tripod, plus a compatible calibrated reflectance panel. Both packages contain four flight batteries in total. [2] [3]
Ask the supplier to demonstrate the actual supported connection and coordinate procedure on the handover equipment. Compare an own-base arrangement with any suitable correction service you already have. Include the person who will set up the next visit, rather than limiting the demonstration to the first successful connection.
For the Mavic 3M, current DJI documentation lists D-RTK 3 support within the applicable base-station workflow. The model-specific calibration requirements must be checked. [4]
Positioning, image processing and field interpretation need separate acceptance questions. An extra station does not answer why a crop area differs. Read the correction-source decision guide →
Farm observation: define what the Matrice 4T must show
The Matrice 4T provides thermal and visible imaging. That creates a different observation route from the Mavic 3M crop workflow. [5]
Use a trial to agree which targets can be recognised at an appropriate operating position and how the person on the ground receives the observation. Ask what happens when a target is hidden, a view is uncertain or the scene changes. Record those gaps alongside the useful observations.
AG-03 combines the M4T with five total flight batteries, DJI Power 2000 and an AS1 speaker. It includes training and support; image-processing software is customer supplied. [6]
Discuss the intended use of every accessory in the handover. The thermal guide covers observation limits and follow-up responsibilities, including the care required around animals. Read the farm thermal observation guide →
Budget for a complete data workflow
None of these agriculture packages includes an image-processing software licence. Choose the customer-supplied workflow around the intended deliverable and check compatibility before ordering.
- Capture. Define the area, observation and file set the reviewer needs.
- Process. Demonstrate suitable software using representative files and the settings required for that output.
- Review. Keep the output, its source data, limitations and field references together.
- Follow up. Name the person who will check the location or asset and decide the next action.
Request an example handover rather than judging a workflow from the colour of a demonstration map. Agree who can access the files, where they will be kept and what the customer can still use after a software licence or support period ends. A named software product in another supplier’s bundle is not an inclusion in ours.
Compare the three agriculture packages
| Package | Hardware and support route | Processing software |
|---|---|---|
| AG-01 · Crop Monitoring Essential | Mavic 3M capture setup, four total flight batteries, training and introductory support | Customer supplied |
| AG-02 · Crop Advisory Professional | Same aircraft and battery total; adds the station, pole/tripod, panel and expanded training/support arrangement | Customer supplied |
| AG-03 · Livestock & Farm Patrol | M4T thermal observation setup with field-power option and application support | Customer supplied |
Read the selected product page for the exact included-items list, training arrangements, support period and dataset-review scope. No crop-processing subscription, spraying service or professional diagnosis is implied by this comparison. Ask for any additional work to be defined in the quotation.
Use one representative pilot to test the purchase
For a crop workflow, choose a field question that the review team can investigate. For an own-base setup, include another deployment so the next operator can repeat the coordinate and capture handover. For thermal observation, include the real target and an ordinary interruption or incomplete view.
Keep the acceptance brief short: what must be visible, how the location will be identified, which files or records are delivered and who will act. Add a rescheduling decision for unsuitable conditions. Review the trial with the person responsible for the farm decision.
Teagasc’s Irish grass-measuring guidance describes established field measurement and management methods. A drone proposal should explain how its output fits the farm’s existing records and decisions. [7]
Use the exercise to choose equipment and scope, not to promise that one season, site or research dataset establishes a universal result. If the intended action is still unclear, refine the service brief before expanding the hardware order.
Plan the Irish operation and the data handover
Establish the applicable operating arrangements for the actual location and flight. The IAA publishes guidance on operational authorisation; a hardware purchase is not the authorisation for a proposed operation. [8]
Professional drone imagery may include personal data. Use the Irish Data Protection Commission’s guidance when setting the purpose, access and retention arrangements. [9]
Give the operator the field boundaries, access arrangements, neighbouring activity and an appropriate farm contact. Coordinate the visit with the farm team and agree when to stop or postpone it. Keep the selected aircraft instructions with the equipment; a farm task does not remove its weather or operating limits.
Agriculture drone buying questions
Is there one best drone for every farm?
Choose around the evidence and the person who uses it. Crop imagery, a managed correction setup and thermal observation are different purchasing briefs. Compare the confirmed packages against a representative task.
Does AG-02 have a better crop camera than AG-01?
They use the same Mavic 3M aircraft. Review the added equipment and support against your own correction and data workflow.
Do the packages include Pix4Dfields or another processing licence?
No image-processing software licence is included. Confirm your selected compatible software, its cost and the required processing responsibilities separately.
Does buying the equipment include agronomic or veterinary advice?
Check the service scope. The equipment, application training and any listed dataset-quality review do not create an agreement for professional diagnosis or treatment decisions.
Send a task brief with your enquiry
Tell Irish Drone what you need to observe, where the sites are, how often you will visit and which output someone must use. For crop work, include the crop, field layout, existing software and correction arrangements. For farm observation, describe the target and who receives the follow-up.
Quote AG-01, AG-02 or AG-03 if you have already shortlisted a configuration. We can discuss the package against that brief and identify what still needs to be confirmed. Discuss your agriculture drone requirements →
Explore the agriculture packages on Irish Drone
Official manuals and setup guidance
Continue with the guide for your farm
Documentation and evidence
Use the current instructions for the selected equipment and the requirements of your actual operation.
Technical sources and scope
- DJI Mavic 3M specifications
Sensor types; no thermal, diagnostic or farm-throughput claim. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- Irish Drone AG-01 included items
Actual package contents; no processing licence or professional diagnosis. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- Irish Drone AG-02 included items
Same aircraft/battery total; listed additions and support scope. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- DJI D-RTK 3 current compatibility and mode documentation
Verify M3M model-specific broadcast/base procedure; no relay or universal calibration claim. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- DJI Matrice 4 Series specifications
No detection, counting, diagnosis or weather guarantee. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- Irish Drone AG-03 included items
Five total flight batteries, Power2000 and AS1; software customer supplied. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- Teagasc: The benefits of grass measuring
Existing field measurement context; not validation of an M3M biomass model. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- IAA: Guidance on Applications for Operational Authorisation, UAM012 issue6
No permission provided by equipment purchase. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
- Data Protection Commission: Guidance on the use of drones
Professional imagery handling; not a legal approval. Reviewed 3 November 2026.
Pingback: Choosing a DJI Agras in Ireland | Farm & Contractor Guide
Pingback: Mavic 3M Crop Monitoring: Capture, Process & Field-Check
Pingback: Mavic 3M RTK: AG-01 or D-RTK 3 AG-02? | Irish Drone
Pingback: Matrice 4T for Livestock & Farm Checks | Irish Drone