The farm machinery bedrock is shifting. Tractor. Planter. Drone?
“There is historic change coming to agriculture and it’ll occur in every single part of farming,” says North Carolina producer Russell Hedrick. “We’re starting an era where you literally won’t find a farm with a planter that doesn’t also own a drone, because the savings and functions are incredible.”
“Agriculture drones are a key to farm survival, all backed with simple, verifiable numbers that show a giant difference in dollars,” he adds.
Emphasizing a monumental shift, Hedrick has responded with Carolina-based Revolution Drones. “U.S.-made farm drones built by an American farmer who understands the unique needs of other American farmers.”
Gamechanger
“A lot of people are not paying attention,” Hedrick contends. “Even with the best navigation systems that we’ve ever had in the history of farming, anytime you drive a ground rig in a row crop field, you lose money.”
“On soybeans, with every pass made, university research shows 1.4 to 2.5 bushels per acre lost. For example, if beans are $10 a bushel, and you lose 1.5 bushels, that’s $15 an acre gone when you run the rig one time. If it’s 2.5 bushels, that’s $25 an acre to run that ground rig.”
Therefore, according to Hedrick’s math, if a farmer with 6,000 acres of soybeans runs a ground rig just twice, and loses 1.5 bushels per acre in damage, the cost is $90,000.
However, Hedrick asks, what if the same farmer spent $51,000 for a spreader, spray tank, batteries, chargers, controllers, and a drone capable of covering 750 acres per day?
The 6,000 acres would take eight days to cover and conserve $90,000 in crop damage: “That farmer paid for his drone in eight days and still had $39,000 left in savings,” Hedrick explains. “This is a gamechanger like nothing else out there and its impact is only just starting to be realized. Every agriculture operation in America is going to own its own drone.”
Simple Economics
In 2021, Hedrick dipped a toe in agriculture drone use. On his Catawba County ground, just outside Hickory, in classic western North Carolina foothill country, he hired a custom applicator to put out fungicide on several corn fields, utilizing check strips to measure efficacy.
In 2022, he hired another custom applicator with a stronger drone for foliar passes in test plots to gauge a return.
In 2023, he bought his own drone, made in China, and learned the ropes. “Having someone custom spray versus owning your own drone is two different universes. I was done with paying and watching someone else. It was time for me to make the learning effort and save major money.”
However, Hedrick hit hurdles—repeatedly. “The No. 1 problem I ran into, and it’s the No. 1 problem I hear from guys today coast to coast, is drones built in China are built for farmland in China. The fairest statement I can make is, ‘They don’t know how we farm in America, and don’t understand the vastness of our fields and the necessity to cover hundreds or thousands of acres in day in a timely manner.’ I pointed out these shortcomings to the companies and asked for help. I always got the same answer: ‘We’ll take care of it.’ But nothing happened. I got fed up waiting.”
Hedrick’s solution? Build it himself. He started Revolution Drones. “Need a certain type of tractor? Some company builds that. Need a certain type of combine? Some company builds that. Agriculture machinery has always met farmers with what they need—except for drones. As a farmer, I decided to meet and exceed the needs of my fellow farmers, and at the same time, bring the manufacturing and production to the U.S.”
Farm innovator to the core, Hedrick already had access to software production through co-ownership of Soil Regen. He partnered with Gteex Drones in Brazil, another farmer-led business,
“Our goal is going to be to be transparent with our customers. We say that we’re made in the U.S., and after that, we say what percentage that is. So, currently, we can build up to 60% of our parts in the U.S. Literally, that means if there’s 200 parts to a drone, and I say it’s 60%, then 120 of those pieces were built right here with American workers from Illinois to Indiana, to Iowa to North Carolina to Georgia. No selling data and we build all our own software, period.”
Drone utilization in agriculture is about to go nuclear, far beyond present use, Hedrick insists. Why? Simple economics.
“Not Even Imagined”
Custom aerial application rates vary, but often run $12-$14 per acre. Likewise, custom drone applications can hit $14-$16 per acre.
“I understand people don’t have time to learn new things. I also understand the desperate need guys have now to cut costs, and running your own drone is a profitability gamechanger.”
The math is undeniable, Hedrick contends. Agriculture, he believes, is at the get-go of historic technology change, echoing the breakthroughs of yesteryear, whether steel plow or mechanization.
Initially, drones were viewed as a hammer searching for a nail: a single-use tool. However, drones will become a farm’s Swiss Army Knife, Hedrick insists, with an ever-increasing capacity to house more blades and tools.
“This is only starting and it’s not just about fertilizer and pesticide. We currently have drones with 30-gallon capacities, and much bigger ones are coming. We’re able to cover well over 1,000 to 1,500 acres a day with a drone. We even have heavy lift drones to deal with breakdowns in the field. When a pivot tire goes down, a drone will lift and carry a replacement out there to the section. A motor down? It’ll carry a motor. A blizzard? A drone will carry hay bales to your cattle.”
“Farmer-owned and operated drones are going to be absolutely standard in row crop operations. If a guy has a tractor, he’ll have a drone. If a guy has livestock, he’ll have a drone.”
And autonomy? Drones are tailor-made for AI technology. “You hear about autonomy all over the farm, but a lot of it is theoretical and down the road. Not so with drones. This is coming fast and its concrete. The value of drones on the farm, as high as it is today, will soon go up to levels not even imagined yet.”
Push to Profitability
In 2024, during the deadly and catastrophic impact of Hurricane Helene, Hedrick was on the scene in the worst-hit areas of North Carolina, at the forefront of relief supply delivery to stranded families—via drone.
“That was another example of how much we learned about the expansion of drones in all areas of life. In farming, that expansion is going to change the future of all our operations, because drone technology is going to push agriculture to profitability,” Hedrick concludes. “That’s how dramatic the drone impact will be.”
For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:
When Conservation Backfires: Landowner Defeats Feds in Mindboggling Private Property Case
Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told
How the Deep State Tried, and Failed, to Crush an American Farmer
Game of Horns: Iowa Poacher’s Antler Addiction Leads to Historic Bust
Ghost Cattle: $650M Ponzi Rocks Livestock Industry, Money Still Missing
