Dive Brief:
- The larger the farm, the more likely it relies on precision agriculture technology to increase crop yields, lower costs or assist with daily operations, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Technologies such as yield monitors and soil maps that support farmers’ decision-making were used on 68% of large-scale farms versus 13% of small-scale farms in 2023, according to a survey conducted by the USDA’s Economic Research Service.
- Large-scale farms are defined as operations grossing over $1 million per year. Midsize farms and nonfamily farms also had higher usage rates of agricultural technology — particularly those that deal with automation — compared to smaller producers.
Dive Insight:
Farmers in recent years have leveraged precision agriculture technologies to help increase their productivity while lowering costs as volatile commodity markets and weather conditions impact their profits and yields.
Despite the benefits, the upfront cost of these technologies has hindered widespread adoption. Some of the lowest technology adopters were retirement farms or operations that make less than $150,000 per year.
In general, larger farms with deeper pockets had much higher adoption rates across a number of technologies including yield monitors and guidance autosteering systems. Beyond cost, however, “larger farms can benefit more from employing these tools than smaller farms,” agency researchers said in the report.
Guidance autosteering systems on tractors, harvesters, and other equipment, for example, were among the most used technologies on large scale farms. Autosteering systems were used on 70% of large farms, versus 9% of small farms, the report found.
As farmers look to optimize their operations, agriculture equipment manufacturers are investing more in precision technologies amid struggles to sell tractors and combines in a tough farm economy.
Still, there are some technologies that are still struggling to gain traction. Drones, wearable livestock devices and robotic milkers were low in use regardless of farm size, data show. Just 12% of large-scale, family farms used drones in their operations, for example.