How integrated drone and satellite data delivered a 26% margin uplift in Agrii’s “Field of the Future” trial

The latest Farmers Weekly coverage of Agrii’s “Field of the Future” trial highlights a clear shift in how precision agriculture is evolving: away from single-source data and towards integrated, multi-layered decision making.

At Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire, the second season of the trial demonstrated a significant improvement in performance. As reported, the “field of the future delivered a 26% higher gross margin than the farm standard at harvest 2025,” largely driven by improved yield outcomes under a revised digital agronomy approach. (Farmers Weekly)

A key change from the first season was the move away from relying predominantly on modelled or satellite-led insights. Instead, Agrii’s team combined agronomic expertise, regular field walking, satellite analysis, and drone-based crop intelligence to improve decision accuracy in real time.

A central component of this integrated approach was the use of Skippy Scout, a platform designed for automating crop scouting via drone. 

As outlined in the article, Agrii used Skippy Scout alongside satellite mapping tools such as Rhiza NDVI to refine fertiliser strategies. The imagery collected by the drone was analysed by Skippy to provide high-resolution Green Area Index, enabling agronomists to better understand crop variability and translate satellite signals into actionable, field-level decisions.

The article notes:

“We used the Skippy Scout drone mapping and green area index (GAI) tool to inform our nitrogen applications… We then used the Rhiza NDVI mapping tool to correlate the high-resolution drone GAI data with satellite data to produce a fertiliser application map for each timing.”

This combination allowed for more precise variable-rate nitrogen decisions, improving input efficiency while maintaining yield potential.

One of the key lessons from the trial was that satellite data alone was not sufficient to drive optimal agronomic outcomes. Earlier iterations of the trial had relied heavily on digital forecasting tools, but performance improved once those insights were validated against in-field observations.

The agronomy team reinforced this point through a more grounded approach to decision-making, combining predictive models with physical verification and drone imagery.

This reflects a broader principle emerging in precision agriculture: data is most valuable when it is contextualised. Satellite imagery provides scale and pattern recognition, while tools like Skippy Scout provide resolution and confirmation at crop level.

The trial demonstrates how integrated digital systems are becoming central to modern farm management. Rather than replacing agronomists, the technology stack is increasingly being used to enhance decision confidence.

By combining satellite data, drone-based crop scouting, and in-field agronomy, the Agrii team was able to refine input strategies and improve economic outcomes.

As the Farmers Weekly article concludes, the improvement in margins was not simply a result of more data, but better use of complementary data sources to inform decisions under real field conditions.

The “Field of the Future” trial reinforces a clear direction for precision agriculture: the future is not satellite versus drone, but satellite plus drone, supported by agronomic expertise.

Skippy Scout’s role in validating satellite-derived insights illustrates how higher-resolution field intelligence can significantly improve decision-making quality, ultimately translating into measurable economic gains at farm scale.