Drones are an important tool on Jeremiah Gebhardt’s farm in rural Salisbury, Missouri.
For the last few years, he’s used them to spray his corn, soybean and wheat fields.
Since adding the new farm equipment came with a large up-front cost, it was not a decision he made overnight.
“I came up with, if we applied our own aerial spraying fungicide on our ground, plus I could do some for some other farmers in the area, I thought it'd be worth it,” said Gebhardt.
Midwest farmers like Gebhardt are increasingly using drones to lower production costs and for their convenience. In an Iowa State University survey completed last year, 21% farmers who responded reported using drones and 32% percent said they plan on using drones in the future.
Doug Houser, a digital agriculture extension specialist from Iowa State University, said farmers adopt technology that they know will ultimately help their business. More and more, he said, farmers are taking an interest in the aerial technology.
“Every conference, every meeting I go to, I find farmers that are asking ‘What's the latest technology and trends? Can I do this? Can I do that?’” said Houser.
The advantages
Drones can allow farmers to be more precise with chemical application, preventing chemical loss and saving money, Houser said. They can also allow farmers to get into the fields when conditions wouldn’t work for a regular sprayer.
“I'm in control if I want to spray a field today after that half-inch rain, I can't get in with my ground rig,” he said. “... I can have access to that and actually get that fungicide or cover crop or whatever I'm doing applied to my field.”
Drones can also protect farmers from potential chemical exposure when spraying in the field, according to Kevin Knorr. The owner and CEO of Volitant Drone Technology Solutions in Dunbar, Nebraska, said farmers operating ground sprayers drive right through sprayed areas. This makes exposure more likely.
“Every time they turn around, they turn right back around in it.” said Knorr. “There may be cabin filters and whatnot that keep that out, but can we fully trust that the operator is not in it?”
Drones do have their shortcomings, including short battery life and restrictions on the chemicals that they’re allowed to spray. But they also offer convenience, especially for livestock producers, according to Shawn “B.W.” Barstow, a drone flight instructor at Utah State University.
“The fun thing for us is when we do a little workshop, a farmer comes up and says, ‘Wait a minute. Are you saying there's two feet of snow on the ground, I have to go check my water, I can get out of my truck, fly my drone over, check my water and then fly right back and not get wet?’” said Barstow. “I'm like, ‘Yeah.'”
Growing business
Agri Spray Drones in Boonville, Missouri, began selling drones mostly for agriculture in 2019.
Jordan Sayre, a key account manager for Agri Spray, said increasing demand has helped the company grow.
“I started in 2022 as employee number five and now there’s 25 of us and we went from about a 6,000 square foot building to … a 30,000 square foot building,” said Sayre.
In order to safely and legally fly drones, farmers do need access to training. Agri Spray holds flight training once a month at their headquarters. Attendees receive a resource folder that helps them diagnose repairs, learn more about flying the drone, and how to map a flight path.
Jeremiah Gebhardt said he got the assistance he needed when he bought his first drone a couple of years ago from Agri Spray.
“You need to be able to fix the drones yourself in that field when you have a breakdown. And it's important when you're operating any piece of machinery that you understand how it works.” said Gebhardt.
At Volitant Drone Technology Solutions in Nebraska, the company provides drone sales. spraying services and training. Knorr, the CEO and owner, said they work alongside farmers to show them how drones can be used on their farms.
As for sales, Knorr said he sees interest in drones varying based on the season.
“We are right up against fungicide season, but annually we'll slow down a little bit right after the season, but then we'll pick right back up again when you start talking about spreading cover crops and fall pasture spraying.” he said.
This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues.
