Drones are one area of farm inputs where costs have been falling, even as the cost of other inputs like farm labor, fertilizer and pesticides have been rising—in some cases dramatically, squeezing growers.
In some areas, drones can do jobs that would otherwise require tractors and/or farm labor—especially with certain specialty crops like vineyards. Where that is the case, drones can reduce input costs of water, pesticides and fertilizer through more precise targeting. They can also reduce carbon emissions and labor costs. Pictured above is a drone in action. (Credit Herney Gomez.)
The falling cost of drones is mostly due to one manufacturer, SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. or Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies Ltd., commonly called DJI, which makes about 70% of drones used on American farms. Drone use seems set to take off; there are about 1,000 licensed spray drone businesses, with another 1,200 applications filed with the Federal Aviation Administration in the first six months of 2024, according to Investigate Midwest.
DJI temporarily dodged a bullet that could have grounded its drones when the most recent National Defense Authorization Act deferred a ban on DJI and Autel championed by some members of Congress on national security grounds.
Bryan Sanders may have had something to do with that victory. Sanders is president of HSE-UAV, a leading agricultural and commercial drone supplier. “We’ve been in the drone business since 2009, and in the ag drone business since 2014,” he said. Sanders has led the company since 2018. He helped form the American Spray Drone Coalition, a group of drone distributors advocating for continued farmer choice of drone equipment.
Besides HSE-UAV, coalition members include Pegasus Robotics, Rantizo, Bestway Ag, DroneNerds, and Agri Spray Drones. They banded together on the basis of common interest in supporting farmers’ access to high-quality, low-cost spray drones to remain competitive globally. The members all compete against each other commercially in selling a variety of drones, including those made by DJI, but the group itself is unaffiliated with DJI or any Chinese drone maker.
“We’re advocating on behalf of our customers, the American farmers and service providers,” Sanders said.
The group urges growers to contact their representatives in Congress. It is truly a grass-roots effort, Sanders said, since some large ag advocacy organizations are staying silent on this fight, perhaps fearing to alienate President Donald Trump’s administration.
Sanders remains skeptical about claims of security threats. “So much of the data used by drones is already publicly available,” he told High Plains Journal. “We have seen no real evidence that special security threats exist with farm drones.”
He points out that farm drones need not be connected to the cloud to operate, and that they aren’t collecting any sensitive data that isn’t already publicly available through sources such as satellite imagery or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “If there is an actual security issue, let’s get to the root, and solve it. Alternatively, if this is about competition, increasing American manufacturing and production—let’s address that. We’ll accomplish much more if we know what the actual target is.”
“I would love to see an American-made product that competes with the best drones out there, at the same price point, but that will take millions of dollars and a lot of government support. … So as a nation, if we want to really compete with China, we need to put our money where our mouths are.”
The victory in the NDAA is a temporary and provisional stay of execution. The bill still authorizes a “review” of security concerns about DJI and other Chinese-made drones, and a ban could still happen down the road if the Federal Communications Commission takes action to bar Chinese-made drones from the U.S. spectrum.
DJI is mounting its own vigorous effort to defend itself. Besides contacting media outlets to argue that it is unconnected to the Chinese military and that its civilian drones pose no security threat, DJI has also sued the Department of Defense over its designation as a “Chinese military company.” DJI argues that the proposed drone ban is “protectionism masquerading as national security concerns.” It is also quietly exploring licensing arrangements with American companies to get around any possible ban in the future.
Sanders is optimistic about the future of the ag drone business. “We want American farmers to continue to have access to the best technology,” he said. “That’s why we advocate for them. If you take away this revolutionary technology that they are relying on, you’ll hurt farmers.”
David Murray can be reached at journal@hpj.com.
