Farmers in Biggest Ag-Producing States Twice as Likely to Use Precision Agriculture Tools

The top row-crop-producing states in the U.S. are home to the highest usage rates of precision agriculture. According to USDA’s farm computer report last week, farmers in the top corn, wheat, soybean and hog states are twice as likely to use precision agriculture practices. The report is published every two years. Data shows roughly 85% of farms have an internet connection and 82% own a smartphone instead of a desktop or laptop.

Half of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota farmers say they have used precision agriculture tools in the last 12 months, such as GPS steering, yield monitoring and soil mapping, variable rate input applications, drones, precision feeding or robotic milking. The lowest use rates of precision technology were found in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Florida. About 14,000 farms participated in the survey.

Read more on precision technology use trends here.