New Research Reveals Growing Farmer Interest in Drone Tech

A new national study reveals some bullish baseline trends regarding how American farmers are approaching agricultural drone tech and related equipment as an emerging cornerstone of crop production.

The research, “Farmer Perceptions of Agricultural Drones,” was sponsored by SweetWater Technologies, Agri Spray Drones, the National Corn Growers Association, and Syngenta. The project was also deployed in partnership with CropLife America, The Fertilizer Institute, the Agricultural Retailers Association, and D.C. Legislative and Regulatory Services and was conducted by Stratovation Group.

The research, which surveyed full-time, large-scale row crop farmers across the U.S., provides solid baseline insights into both the adoption drivers and resistance points shaping the future of agricultural technology at the field level.

Several key findings from the survey signal a high degree of market momentum for the agricultural drone sector:
• Perception drives value: Drone owners have a very positive perception of drones, with 67% expressing positive impressions and none having negative perceptions.
• A majority of current drone users (72%) say they plan to purchase or lease a new drone in the future, with 53% indicating they would do so within the next three years.
• More than half of current non-drone users (61%) indicate they also plan to purchase or lease a new agricultural drone in the future, with 30% indicating that would occur within the next three years, which indicates a widening gateway to mainstream adoption.
• The market continues to be wide open since more than 67% of respondents indicated they currently do not use drones of any type on their farm.
• Of the farmers currently using drones, the most common drone type by far was multi-rotor drones at 89%.

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For more details about the agriculture drone tech study, visit stratovationgroup.com.