Agricultural pilots have reported near misses with drones taking photos over canola crops.
The industry is worried a crash could prove fatal, while the biosecurity of crops is also being compromised.
Drone operators have been asked to implement some safety and biosecurity measures pre-flight.
The golden canola fields blanketing the Australian countryside are providing drone photographers with visuals, but they come with a potentially fatal risk.
Pilots and farmers undertaking aerial spraying of canola crops are reporting near misses involving drones, warning that lives could be at risk if drone operators do not take more care.
The Aerial Application Association of Australia, which represents pilots and workers who provide aerial application services to farmers, says the number of planes flying over canola crops is at its highest at this time of year.
Association chief executive officer Matthew Harper said this year's canola crop was looking "absolutely beautiful".
He said flying a drone over those crops came with multiple dangers.
That includes possibly interfering with aircraft flying at low levels to apply chemicals or fungicides, for military training, firefighting, or the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
"They can all be just there in that under 500 feet airspace," Mr Harper said.
He was aware of several close calls being reported this season.
"In a recent near miss over a canola crop in WA, the only reason the pilot saw [the drone] was because he saw the drone operator's car parked beside the highway and it hadn't been there on his last pass," he said.
"He missed that drone with what we think is probably less than 30 metres, which could have been fatal.
"When an aircraft wing hits a drone, the drone doesn't necessarily disintegrate. It can breach the front of the aircraft, and then it tends to stay intact and travel through the aircraft, breaking control cables and ripping out the other side.
"You could find very quickly that you actually have no control over the aircraft and a wing that's just no longer providing enough lift to fly."
He said the chance of a pilot spotting a drone hovering over a crop was "almost zero".
"We've also had a number of anecdotal near misses in both South Australia and southern New South Wales, and unfortunately, they all do appear to be photographic drones looking down at the canola," he said.
Mr Harper said flowering canola was also "highly susceptible to biosecurity issues", prompting annual reminders for the public not to enter paddocks without permission.
That also poses a danger to those on the ground.
"An aircraft will be travelling just under 200 kilometres an hour while it's doing a spray application," he said.
Mr Harper urged operators to be aware of their surroundings, pause and "have a good look around" before sending drones into the air.
He also recommended having a second person as a lookout and keeping drones over the road to remove the chance of having to bring them down into the crop.
Agronomist Marty Colbert regularly used drones to check general crop health and for hail and chemical damage.
"We've got a biosecurity plan to adhere to — I wash everything down with a disinfectant and soap," he said.
"No-one appreciates having an unexpected visitor into their paddock that might be carrying something."
Mr Colbert said he always checked with his farmer clients about any aerial applications happening in the area.
"You do have to have your wits about you because you can get several online apps to tell you if an aircraft's in the vicinity, but quite often — because aerial applicators fly lower than that beacon can exude a signal — they won't show up on it," Mr Colbert said.