“When I worked with mapping drones in the past, they never really reached their potential,” said Nathan Stein, 40, a pioneer in the drone industry who farms in the Barnum/Clare area. “Today’s drones, however, are a game-changer for farmers.”

Technology companies began developing drones for agricultural uses in the early 2000s.

By the 2010s, more farmers started experimenting with drones for crop monitoring, mapping and more. Those early drones were relatively expensive, though, and required significant technical expertise to operate.

While drones didn’t become as commonplace on farms as tractors, these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) continued to evolve. Thanks to powerful imagery technology and digital systems to define field boundaries, today’s drones allow the precise application of crop protection products, fertilizer and more.

“Now you can apply products exactly to the acres you want, where you want, when you want,” said Stein, who has worked with drones since 2012.

From the farm to Pegasus Robotics

Stein’s many years of practical experience have propelled him to the forefront of the drone industry. He founded Pegasus Robotics in 2022 with business partners Arthur Chen and Davin York (who farms in Missouri) to supply innovative, drone robotic technology for farmers.

Pegasus Robotics, which started selling XAG drones in 2023, is the exclusive distributor of XAG drones in the United States and Canada. “XAG has about 200,000 of these drones operating worldwide,” said Stein, who noted that XAG is based in China. “They are coming to the U.S. market after being in the ag drone business for 16 years.”

XAG is one of the companies — along with DJI — vying for a bigger share of the ag drone market in America. DJI started as a camera company that evolved into drones, Stein said. XAG, however, was developed as a spray-drone company from the start.

“XAG drones are tough, sturdy vehicles, compared to DJI drones,” Stein said.

XAG’s durable, efficient, easy-to-repair drones start around $34,900. A dry spreader can be added for an extra $2,400. Each drone is backed by comprehensive training and support, Stein added. “You can easily go from spraying to spreading with an XAG drone. The technology provides advanced solutions to equip farms of all sizes for the future of precision agriculture.”

Drones can fly 31 miles per hour

XAG drones are changing the way producers farm, Stein noted, in terms of efficiency and precision. The Pegasus Robotics XAG P100 drone has been billed as one of the fastest, largest drones on the market. It can hold up to 14 gallons. It flies 31 miles per hour while spraying and weighs 210 pounds fully loaded. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes to recharge and refill one of these drones.

“We’re licensed applicators who use drones to apply products to our own acres, and we fly drones for other farmers,” said Stein, who has used drones to spread urea and other crop inputs. “We do everything by the book, the way the Federal Aviation Administration wants things done.”

Pegasus Robotics also has spray drone trailers that provide automatic chemical batching and more.

“We run our trailers like a NASCAR pit spot,” Stein said. “Not only can we fill the tank quickly and swap the batteries, but there’s a huge safety benefit. This system limits chemical exposure and reduces over-mixing.”

Another thing that sets XAG drones apart from the competition is the way their batteries charge in water. This helps the batteries cool down a lot faster, especially on hot days. The rechargeable batteries on XAG drones have a long life, Stein said.

“We’ve been running batteries that are three years old.”

Pegasus Robotics covered 10,000 acres with spray drones in 2023. One drone can handle approximately 500 acres a day, and the Pegasus team usually operates two drones per field.

Drones boost farming efficiency

XAG’s drone technology, available through Pegasus Robotics, suits a wide array of needs, including Midwestern corn and soybean growers, California grape growers, Christmas tree growers in North Carolina, and wheat producers in the Great Plains and southwestern United States.

“We’ve sprayed in the Loess Hills in western Iowa and in the hilly acres of Tama County, Iowa,” Stein said. “There’s no problem going up and down hills and terraces.”

Stein recently hosted four guests from the XAG team in China when they visited America for the first time in mid-March. The team spent several days in the Fort Dodge area and visited the Manson-area farm of Brent Johnson, the founder of Labre Crop Consulting and president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. They also met with representatives from Rep. Randy Feenstra’s office and Sen. Joni Ernst’s office.

“We talked a lot about data privacy, international grain trade and more,” said Stein, who hosted a dealer training session at Lizard Creek Ranch while the company representatives from China were in Iowa. “We also got a great tour of the Cargill corn processing facility at the ag business park west of Fort Dodge.”

Pegasus Robotics, which has 50 XAG dealers across the United States, is setting up a warehouse by Barnum. The company is recruiting more dealers and other talent to handle a variety of jobs within the company, from customer support to marketing.

Stein wants to help American farmers maximize useful technologies like drones to remain competitive in the global marketplace. “Brazil and Mexico are adopting this technology much faster than the United States,” he noted. “They are leapfrogging ahead.”

The advanced technology in modern drones offers U.S. farmers a powerful, efficient tool, whether they need to terminate a cover crop with herbicide or apply crop protection products and fertilizer with greater precision.

Drones can also be an asset to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

“This technology has a lot of potential to address environmental issues,” Stein said.

Stein also believes the agricultural drone market is poised for exponential growth.

“Today’s drones offer great opportunities to enhance farm productivity and crop yields,” he said. “You’ve got the power in your hands.”