The use of drones for precision cropdusting was pioneered by Yamaha in Japan back in the 1980s. These drones (small helicopters about half the size of a golf cart) have been commercially available since the early 1990s and there are approximately 2,400 operating throughout Japan today. Somehow through more than 20 years of commercial use, these drones have managed to help farmers without invading the privacy of the neighbors and without harming people or other aircraft.

Farmers in the United States are, justifiably, getting impatient. In November 2013, the FAA issued a statement clarifying that farmers could operate unmanned aircraft over their own property for personal use but also suggested that the model aircraft guidelines be followed. These guidelines restrict the maximum weight of a model aircraft to 55 pounds. That is plenty for most aerial surveillance purposes (crop monitoring, etc) but the Yamaha Rmax cropdusting vehicle weighs over 200 pounds.

The FAA has recently allowed six companies to provide drone aerial photography for the movie industry. This will provide incredible cinematography in future feature films. Meanwhile, American farmers are left to ponder how much farther they will fall behind their Japanese colleagues. CNBC’s Mark Koba recently posted an article about drones and U.S. farmers. Check it out here.