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Growers ready for autonomous solutions

Nearly a third of growers say they expect to invest in autonomous farm machinery in the next decade according to a recent survey about its adoption.

Contributing author Dan Crummett tells Brownfield labor was the top reason why.

“Fifty-three percent said their interest was based on the labor shortage,” he shares.

Farmers were also interested in reducing their soil compaction with smaller machines and improving the precision of input applications.

As for how much farmers are willing to pay if the technology comes with a good return on investment…

“Twenty-six percent said they would spend up to $200,000 if the ROI was there in the next five years, over 32 percent said they’d spend $100,000, and 11 percent said they’d spend whatever it takes,” he says.

Crummett says by 2027, autonomous equipment is expected to be a $22 billion dollar industry globally and it’s a sleeping giant starting to awake in agriculture.

The Ag Equipment Intelligence Autonomous Farm Equipment: U.S. Farm Adoption & Outlook report surveyed both North American farm machinery dealers and nearly 500 North American growers in the fall of 2022.