Agricultural Research & Field Trial Service

Support agricultural research and field trials with drone data collection

Startup Cost
$15,000-$90,000
Difficulty
Advanced
Time to Profit
12-24 months
Profit Potential
$12,000-$67,000/month

Overview

Agricultural research services charge $2,000-$10,000 per trial or $5,000-$30,000 per season.

Serving 15-50 research projects generates $150,000-$800,000 annually with 75-90% margins.

In 2025, researchers adopt drones for efficient trial data collection.

Services include variety trial monitoring ($3,000-$12,000 per trial), plot-level data collection ($2,000-$8,000), treatment comparison analysis ($2,500-$10,000), research data collection flights ($1,500-$6,000), high-throughput phenotyping ($5,000-$20,000), and time-series crop monitoring ($3,000-$15,000).

Successful services provide research-grade data, collect consistent measurements, enable plot-level analysis, reduce labor for measurements, and support scientific publications.

Universities and ag research as clients.

Marketing through agricultural universities, seed companies, research foundations, agricultural research stations, and crop science conferences.

Required Skills

  • Research Methodology
  • Precision Agriculture
  • High-Resolution Imaging
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Scientific Protocols
  • Data Quality Control

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Universities and seed companies well-funded
  • Research requires high-quality data
  • Multiple flights per trial add revenue
  • Academic publications build credibility
  • Seasonal recurring trial monitoring

Cons

  • Need scientific rigor and methodology
  • Research timelines longer
  • Academic procurement processes slow
  • High accuracy and precision required
  • Competitive grants and funding

How to Get Started

  1. Get FAA Part 107 and research training
  2. Invest in high-precision agricultural drone
  3. Learn agricultural research methods
  4. Network with university and ag research
  5. Market to researchers and seed companies
  6. Collect research-grade trial data
  7. Support agricultural science with quality data

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