The only constant in farming is change. As growers, we’re more than familiar with the concept, but that doesn’t mean the agents of change we’re currently facing—including a changing climate, rising labor costs, volatile crop prices and more—won’t make your head spin.
The techniques and technologies of agriculture are changing too: Consider the burgeoning use of drones, artificial intelligence and robotics that are helping farmers plant, grow and harvest.. AgTech continued to grow in 2024, and so did our comfort with using it. According to a McKinsey survey of global farming insights, the percentage of North American respondents using or at least willing to adopt one new farming technology rose 6% from 2022 to 2024, and North American farmers outpace the rest of the globe in adopting new farming technologies.¹ Overall, the market for smart agriculture is projected to reach $43.37 billion by 2030.²
Ready or not, change is not only coming — it’s already here. And more is on the way. Let’s take a closer look at some recent trends in agricultural and farming technology and see how the new tech is poised to make things easier and more efficient for all of us.
Agriculture drone technology
With rapid advancements in processing power, sensors, battery storage, and ease of use, modern agricultural drones can help your operation make great leaps forward in gathering and interpreting useful data. In 2024, a slew of advancements in drone technology — and the regulations that govern their operation — pointed to the continued benefits growers are seeing from using drones.
FAA approves more uses of agricultural drones
In 2024, the FAA granted farming drone company Hylio approval to deploy up to three 55-pound drones in a “swarm” without the need for visual observers, allowing the drones to be deployed at night. This approval sets an important precedent and paves the way for other companies and individuals to operate swarms of drones, which in turn can improve crop operations.³
Drones provide alternate solutions for planting cover crops
For growers who are contemplating the benefits of planting cover crops but lack the specialized equipment or the time to complete the task, seed-sowing drones offer a unique alternative. Kris Reynolds, Midwest regional director for American Farmland Trust, cites the accuracy of aerial application of seed-sowing drones as a benefit of this approach, as well as efficiency — a team of drones can seed over 200 acres per day.⁴
Improvements in multispectral imaging continue to promote crop health
For advanced operations, multispectral drones capture a variety of data points to inform your crop analyst about your soil, fertility and moisture levels. These drones can take precise measurements on the growth rate of plants while also screening for disease.
In 2024, research showed that by using drone-based multispectral technology, you can forecast leaf water content via vegetation index AI analysis, allowing for improved speed and efficiency of soil moisture inversion.⁵ , a process used to estimate soil moisture content.
Artificial intelligence in farming
Recent advancements in AI have made it possible to capture and interpret vast amounts of data in the time it takes to shuck an ear of corn.
Data analysis
The most fundamental way artificial intelligence offers value is in its ability to turn large quantities of data into usable information. For example, AI’s data analysis capabilities are making great strides in pest identification, and subsequently, timely pest control.
AI has contributed significantly to pest control with companies like Trapview, which has created a trap that lures pests with pheromones and then photographs them with a camera built into the trap. AI has been able to identify over 60 pest species using data collected in the Trapview database.
Timely and targeted pest control can boost yields due to AI. Trapview boasts a 5% increase in yield and quality recorded by customers using their device.⁶
Crop monitoring
By pairing AI with scouting devices, you can simplify tracking crop health, maturity and nutrient deficiencies. While AI isn’t about to replace your agronomist, the crop scouting insights provided can help your decision-making process.
Last year, Ag Partners Cooperative used AI-driven drone scouting technology to alert growers to potential yield-robbing sulfur deficiencies in corn, and market research conducted by the crop intelligence platform Taranis found that first-year ROI was three times higher when using an AI digital scouting tool in row crops versus traditional efforts.⁷ Additionally, all of this data combined can also lead to more accurate yield estimates.
Weed control efficiency
AI has been employed for precision spraying, capable of using up to 75% less herbicide than a blanket application and saving up to $35 per acre.⁸ But where does that leave growers facing the rise of herbicide-resistant weeds?
Agricultural robotics are an emerging technology that could be used for mechanical removal of resistant weeds. A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study reviewed how these small, lightweight robots (not yet commercially available) could harness AI for automation and navigation to pull hoes through the soil, critically disrupting herbicide-resistant weeds at the emergence stage.⁹
Planning for next-generation farming in 2025
Making the mental shift to more technologically dependent strategies can be difficult, but when your staff, equipment, finances and seasonal planning all interact and work together, the results can be rewarding.
For guidance on integrating cutting-edge chemical and seed packages into your operation, reach out to your seed retailer, a nearby extension office agent, or a seed company professional like your regional BASF representative.
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Endnotes
- “Global Farmer Insights 2024.” McKinsey & Company, 16 Oct. 2024, www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/global-farmer-insights-2024. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
- “Smart Agriculture Market (By Agriculture Type: Precision Farming, Livestock Monitoring, Precision Aquaculture, Precision Forestry, Smart Greenhouse, Others; By Offering: Hardware, Sensing Devices, Software, Services; By Farm Size: Small, Medium, Large) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Regional Outlook, and Forecast 2023 – 2030,” Precedence Agriculture, cited by Forbes Magazine, 2023.
- Hughes, Liz. “Drone Swarms for Farming Approved by FAA.” IOT World Today, 6 Mar. 2024, www.iotworldtoday.com/transportation-logistics/drone-swarms-for-farming-approved-by-faa. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
- White, Jared. “Drones Providing Alternate Cover Crop Seeding Method.” Brownfield Ag News, 12 Sept. 2024, www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/drones-providing-alternate-cover-crop-seeding-method/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
- Qu, Tengteng. “Drone-Based Multispectral Remote Sensing Inversion for Typical Crop Soil Moisture Under Dry Farming Conditions.” MDPI, 16 Mar. 2024, www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/3/484. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
- Kesari, Ganes. “The Future Of Farming: AI Innovations That Are Transforming Agriculture.” Forbes, 1 Apr. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/ganeskesari/2024/03/31/the-future-of-farming-ai-innovations-that-are-transforming-agriculture/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
- Grassi, Matthew J. “Harvesting Insights: How AI Crop Scouting Is Driving Decisions.” 29 May 2024, www.agweb.com/news/business/technology/harvesting-insights-how-ai-crop-scouting-driving-decisions. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
- Claver, Hugo. “AI Precision Spraying Technology to Cut Herbicide Use by 78%.” Future Farming, 18 Oct. 2021, www.futurefarming.com/crop-solutions/weed-pest-control/ai-precision-spraying-technology-to-cut-herbicide-use-by-78/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
- McFadden, Jonathan, et al. “Precision Agriculture in the Digital Era: Recent Adoption on U.S. Farms.” USDA ERS, Feb. 2023, www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/105894/eib-248.pdf?v=9460. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
