The USDA’s annual Farms and Ranches at a Glance Report revealed that 68% of large crop farms use precision agriculture technology. These are defined as farms with incomes above $1 million a year. Information from yield monitors, yield maps and soil maps help in the decision-making process.

Large operators report that precision agriculture was adopted to increase yields, reduce input costs and reduce operator fatigue. Information-generating technology and auto-steer systems rank as the most popular, with use by about 70% of large farms. This was followed by variable-rate technology at 45% and drones at 12%. Robotic milking has been adopted by 19% of large dairy producers.

According to a 2023 Technology Use report, 27% of all farms used precision agriculture tools. Use rates exceeded 50% in the major grain states.

The USDA Economic Research Service says smaller farms are less likely to benefit from these tools. More than 8 out of 10 U.S. farms report gross farm income of less than $350,000 a year. These are ranked as small farms.

Obstacles to precision agriculture tool adoption include the large capital expense, poor internet service and device incompatibility. Technologies that are relatively easy to use are generally adopted more quickly. Technologies that require farmers to collect, collate, analyze and respond to data are less widely adopted due to the required investment in the farmer’s time and resources.

Read more on precision agriculture technology adoption trends here.