A survey of Australian grain producers has shed insight on how autonomous machinery is being both perceived and adopted
The use of autonomous machinery on Australian farms has almost doubled in the past year, according to an industry survey.
A second edition of the Grain Producers Australia autonomous farm machinery survey report has been published, which collected data from more than 200 grain producers late last year and follows the initial survey conducted in 2024.
One major finding was that 45 per cent of respondents identified as being users of autonomous farm machinery, a significant increase compared to 27 per cent the year before.
Tractors (86 per cent) were the most popular type of autonomous machinery among those using it, ahead of sprayers at 61 per cent.
Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia had the highest adoption rates, while productivity, time savings and reduced costs were cited as the biggest benefits from using autonomous machinery.
Both perspectives
The survey also looked at the thoughts of farmers who had not already used autonomous technology.
Among this group, spraying was identified as the area which would be the most popular when they did start adding this technology to their operations, citing increased accuracy, reduced chemical use and improved cost efficiency as the benefits.
Seeding and planting, tillage and soil preparation, crop monitoring and harvesting were among the other areas which non-users believe would be among the first tasks for autonomous application.
More broadly, time and labour savings, cost reduction, safety and fatigue management and were the expected benefits of autonomous machinery adoption.
The primary barrier to adoption remains cost, with even more respondents (68 per cent compared to 52 per cent in the first survey) highlighting this area.
Initial affordability was front of mind for farmers with under 1,000 hectares of land, while the larger operations were more focused on the setup costs to bring their on-farm procedures up to software requirements.
Proven return on investment also remains a barrier with about half of the non-adopters, following by internet connectivity constraints and safety concerns.
Despite this, the overall interest in learning more about these autonomous technologies increased from 61 per cent of respondents in the initial survey to 69 per cent now.
Code of practice
Grain Producers Australia partnered with both the Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia and Society of Precision Agriculture Australia in 2019 to develop a code of practice for autonomous farm machinery, which was released in 2021.
Since then, there has been significant increases in the numbers of autonomous equipment being used, something which was noted in a report by Crop Protection Australia managing director Rohan Rainbow.
“A review of the global use of autonomous farm machinery details that, as of June 2024, there were around 800 autonomous machines used regularly in agricultural applications, with over 100 autonomous machines operating in Australia,” he says.
“Since this review, in just over six months, it appears that these numbers have at least doubled.
“It is estimated, based on industry and commercial manufacturer discussions, that broadacre adoption of autonomous farm equipment will reach 85 per cent within seven years.
“Much of this adoption will be for herbicide application for weed control using weed sensor-based technology, which is expected to represent at least 60 per cent of total agricultural autonomy adoption.”
The report concluded with a number of recommendations, which include further building awareness and including practical adoption support.
Running field-based demonstrations was another recommendation, based on this being how farmers said they wanted to learn more, along with education to highlight the differences between fully autonomous and semi-autonomous technologies along with precision agriculture.
Repositioning the code of practice as a “practical tool for producers” would also help to increase awareness of it and therefore help to boost confidence in autonomous technology adoption.
“The 2026 report reinforces that autonomous farm machinery is no longer a future concept for Australian grain producers,” the report says.
“Adoption is increasing, interest is strong, and the benefits are well understood.
“However, the pace and scale of adoption will ultimately be determined by how effectively industry and government respond to a consistent set of constraints.”
