Kansas buys drones to support ‘cutting-edge precision’ agricultural research
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced the state will spend $3 million on drones, to help farmers improve yields, cut costs, manage livestock and expand opportunities for precision agriculture development.
The funding, approved during last year’s legislative session, will support the drone maker Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems in developing systems that can be operated beyond operators’ visual line of sight, potentially expanding their range and usefulness for large-scale agricultural operations.
In 2024, Kansas was home to 55,500 farm operations, covering 44.8 million acres, or roughly 85% of the state’s land area. The state’s average farm size is roughly 804 acres, with major production in winter wheat, sorghum and beef cattle.
“Through investments into cutting-edge precision agriculture technology, we are giving Kansas farmers and ranchers a leg up,” Kelly said in a press release. “Kansas’ vast cropland and grassland acreage, as well as our diversified agriculture industry, make us the ideal location for these developments.”
The Federal Aviation Administration last year proposed a new rule that would allow drones to fly beyond operators’ visual line of sight, without needing individual waivers. Under the proposed rule, drones would be limited to flights at or below 400 feet, but only launching from FAA-approved locations and equipped with collision-detection systems.
Normally, the FAA grants beyond-visual-line-of-sight waivers on an case-by-case basis, when applicants show they can safely operate drones using appropriate mitigation measures. In 2024, Kelly Hills secured an FAA license to operate a 49,000-square-mile drone test range.
“This investment will ensure that Kansas farmers and ranchers remain at the forefront of the industry,” Kansas Agriculture Secretary Mike Beam said in the press release.
Kansas joins several states, including New York and Ohio, to have recently announced new drone initiatives, sometimes aimed at enhancing public safety or building defense capabilities. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul this month announced that public safety agencies involved with the security of the 2026 FIFA World Cup events received more than $17 million to protect against illegal drone use. Ohio is implementing a “drones as first responders” program, an increasingly common type of public safety program that is typically criticized by privacy and civil rights advocates.
