Tim Norris estimates that an RTK auto-steer system costs $18,000-$25,000. With this system, there are 3% fewer acres to plant, which translates to 3% less seed, labor and fertilizer used. For a system that costs $18,000, it would take 3,333 acres to see ROI, while a $25,000 system would take 4,629 acres to see ROI.

“Launching FieldOps gives us the opportunity to provide solutions for three main challenges farmers face every day: operation logistics, data management, and mobile access to information,” said Kendal Quandahl, precision technology segment lead at Case IH.

For those deeply embedded in the fabric of the drone industry, the narrative surrounding DJI's eventual exclusion was not emerging from a vacuum. It unfolded with a sense of predictability.