One-third of the farmers and ranchers in a Purdue survey say a drone was used on their farm in the past year and a sizable majority of them, 56 percent, say the aerial robot added value to their operations. In two of three cases, the drones were used by a service provider, rather than the farmer, said Purdue in its monthly Ag Economy Barometer on Tuesday.
“Just over half (56 percent) of farms that used a drone in 2018 said that drone usage provided added value to their farm operation, whereas 44 percent indicated that it did not add value. Looking ahead to 2019, just 6 percent of farms in our survey said they plan to purchase a drone in 2019,” wrote Purdue economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier.
At 43 percent, field scouting was the most common use for drones, followed by field mapping, photography for promotional purposes, and hobby or other uses, each at 17 percent. Purdue said it questioned producers about drones to learn about technology used on the farm.
The barometer, a gauge of farmer confidence, ended 2018 with a reading of 127, virtually the same as the reading of 126 a year earlier. The index exceeded 140 twice during 2018 and hit its lowest point of the year, 117, in July at the opening of the Sino-U.S. trade war.