COLUMBIA, Mo. – Attendees at the July 10 University of Missouri Crop and Pest Management Field Day in Columbia will hear updates on how spray drones are modernizing agriculture and what to expect when using these devices for weed control.

Researchers from MU Extension will share recent findings on residual herbicide aerial applications with spray drones. MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley and his team also will report their research related to adjuvant use with drones and comparisons of corn fungicide applications with drones vs. airplanes.

Enthusiasm for drone use in agriculture is growing quickly, says Bradley. According to the American Spray Drone Coalition, acres sprayed in the United States increased from 4 million to 10.3 million from 2023 to 2024. Global industry analysts predict the agriculture drone market will triple to $18 billion by 2030.

The field day begins with registration by 7:45 a.m. on July 10 at the MU Bradford Research and Extension Center, 8 miles east of Columbia at 4968 Rangeline Road. Tour wagons will begin departing at 8:30 a.m.

Continuing education units will be awarded for certified crop advisers.

Register at muext.us/CropPestFieldDay.