Looking for agriculture drone use cases in the United States
When I began researching the use of agricultural drones (hereafter, referred to as “ag drones”) in the US back in 2022, I felt the only thing I was hearing were crickets. However, slowly in the background, this industry has taken off. There are limits to its implementation and this conference highlighted where they lie and what industry leaders are doing to address them. There is a lot to discuss and numerous developments.
At the conference
Taking place in Mobile, Alabama, a wide range of great speakers, panels, research roundtable discussions, and exhibitors were on the menu. What Steve Li, Extension Specialist and Associate Professor at Auburn University, started the year before is growing exponentially. I assisted online at the inaugural conference last year, and still remember, “You can’t do anything about wind” – this relates to drifting when spraying.
What was remarkable about this year was the significant increase in the number of drone retailers. In speaking with my experienced podcast guests, we quickly realize there is a considerable need for education on required licenses and waivers, available exemptions, as well as what constitutes a swath and its impacts, the size of droplets, etc. And if you’re not paying attention to the conditions, you may end up spraying your organic neighbor, for whom you will be held liable for loss of revenue for up to 3 years – as they will not be able to grow and sell their organic products (think: insurance). Then, there was training on how to pilot some of these giants as they are getting bigger. For example, DJI just unveiled their DJI Agras T100, capable of carrying a 100kg payload, however, there is a limit to the weight as the battery life will be taxed.
An agriculture drone is not a toy
You see, an ag drone is not a piece of equipment you just put in the air. You need to fine-tune it with the mission you want to run. New drone owners need to familiarize themselves with their unique drone and ensure that retailers can provide them with ample support. What will be their ROI? Which capacity drone is best for their operation, maintenance, and drone life span?
Data shows the positive impact of ag drones
During the conference various data points about agriculture drones were shared from several companies and associations, including:
- Ag drones services are available in 42 States
- Over 10.3 million acres of crops have been sprayed using ag drones, resulting in $215 million in economic activity in rural communities.
- From 2018 to 2024, the use of manned aerial applicators have increased by 18%, while the use of unmanned applicators have increased by over 7000%.
A 2024 Economic Impact Survey on ag drone customers showed that of those purchasing spray drones:
- Customers across 46 states purchased ag drones.
- $99,700 in revenue was generated per customer in 2024.
- 20% of customers were veterans or employed veterans.
- 75% of customers had employees in 2024.
- 69% had the opportunity to return to the family farm due to spray drones.
- Spray drones have generated $400 million in revenue in rural America since 2020.
- In 2024, the average acreage sprayed by customers was 8,400.
- From 2023 to 2024, customers increased their spray drone efficiency and more jobs were created.
Pesticide application
As there aren’t specific label directions for pesticide use with spray drones, there were conversations around pesticide regulations – such as when spraying applicators need to follow the label for aerial application – and the use of PPE. This is the most significant regulatory issue associated with UAV pesticide application, far surpassing concerns centered on training and licensing.
Chinese drone ban
As a Chinese drone ban is being floated, the ASDC (American Spray Drone Coalition), composed of leading distributors in the agricultural spray drone market – which represents approximately 80% of the ag spray drone market in the United States – continues to educate our lawmakers about the severity of such action. The rhetoric is that not only do Chinese drones cost less than their US counterparts, but there aren’t many US-made drones. The US market share is between five and ten percent and an immediate ban on Chinese drones would reduce the options available to US farmers – particularly on small farms – as US-made drones are twice as expensive. The impact of a sudden ban would negate the benefits enumerated in the 2024 Economic Impact Survey. The ASDC advanced a solution to address the issue at hand which can be viewed on their website.
A world-class conference
People from all over the world were assisting and presenting at the conference:
- Fiona Lake, a drone photographer from Australia and a member of Women & Drones; we had a good time together
- Markus Weber, owner of LandView Drones in Alberta Canada, educated us on everything that a pesticide ag drone can spray.
- Ulisses Antuniassi, a professor, São Paulo State University in Brazil, presented an overview of spray drone application use cases in Brazil and spray drone research activities.
- Jonathan Van Beek and David Nuyttens, presented Legislation from a European Perspective: The Case of Belgium. Van Beek and Nuyttens are precision crop farming research engineers at the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Belgium.
Next Year
The 2026 conference will take place in Kansas City, MO. Over 500 participants joined the 2025 conference and the organizers have a goal of 1,000 attendees for 2026 – of which I am looking forward. Until then, you can read more about my drone experiences in the “Chronicles of a Not-So-New Pilot.” You can also check out my podcast, “Green Farm 4 All: The Drone Farmcast,” on Spotify.
