Episode 300: The Rise of the American-Made Drone

Though it took some time for aerial drones to find the right application on American farms, today, drones are commonplace across much of the countryside, used for everything from scouting to spraying to helping tracking down missing cows. But as drone technology advances exponentially, and the global geopolitical atmosphere changes, U.S. policymakers grew increasingly worried about where the data these mostly Chinese-made drones were collecting was being stored, and who might be able to access it. This concern led to the 2026 ban on new Chinese-made drones, which has led to a new race stateside as farmers, companies, and Silicon Valley startups jockey to define the future of American-made aerial drones. Today, Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Joel Reichenberger takes us behind the scenes to give us the backstory on this emerging space and share some of the details that didn’t make it into the main package. We’ll hear about the emerging companies that are defining the space, and the major barriers they face in standing in domestic manufacturing facilities to building tech here at home. Plus, we’ll dive into what he thinks might be coming down the pike in the U.S. drone market, and what changes he expects to see as American-made drones become more readily available. He’ll also tease his upcoming story about the perils of farming on World War II battlefields.Read Joel’s full story on American-Made Drones here.