In 2022, 19 cattle and 19 elk were found dead from suspected plant poisoning at a New Mexico ranch. Three years later, 10 additional cattle and an unknown number of elk died from the same issue – toxic plants – at the same ranch, which spans about 24,000 acres, making traditional ground assessments impractical.

Since then, Casey Spackman, a range management specialist for New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, has made it his mission to find an effective solution in identifying toxic plants across extensive landscapes. He has zeroed in on unmanned aerial systems, also commonly known as drones.

Spackman’s research may change how toxic plants are detected and addressed in southwestern New Mexico. Instead of relying on time-consuming field surveys, land managers can use drone-based artificial intelligence maps to locate toxic plants and respond quickly by strategically altering grazing management, Spackman said. This could ultimately reduce or avoid livestock losses.