Young farmers offered funded drone pilot training

Five young farmers are being offered fully funded training to become agricultural drone pilots under a new scholarship backed by Defra funding.

The Young Farmers Spray Drone Scholarship, launched by AutoSpray Systems and the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC), will provide five YFC members with Civil Aviation Authority-approved and Lantra-accredited training.

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Each successful applicant will receive a five-day training package, with the overall scholarship valued at a combined £17,500.

The course will cover remote pilot competence flight training and professional accreditation, with the aim of giving participants the qualifications needed to pursue commercial drone work.

The initiative comes as precision technology, including drones for spraying and spreading, attracts growing interest within agriculture.

Cutting edge tech

Nathan Greenwood, NFYFC’s YFC AGRI chairman, said: “Young farmers are ambitious for the future of British agriculture and the adoption of cutting-edge agri tech has an important role to play in the future of our sector.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to future-proof their career or launch a precision contracting enterprise.”

Robert Pearson, chief executive of AutoSpray Systems, said: “Young farmers see first-hand the need for smarter, more sustainable ways to work the land, and the appetite among this generation to build careers around cutting-edge technology is immense.

“Drone spraying isn’t a futuristic concept. It’s happening in British fields right now.

“This scholarship removes the financial and regulatory hurdles so five ambitious young people can pioneer drone operations in their own regions.”

Developing new skills

Farming minister Stephen Morgan said the grant would help “young people access training and development opportunities that open the door to new approaches to farming”.

Applications opened nationally on 6 October, with entrants asked to explain how they would use drone spraying and spreading qualifications, what benefits the technology could bring to farms or their local farming community, and how the training would support their career.

Ahead of the five-day training course in March 2027, the organisers will also run webinars, online educational material and regional field demonstrations for Young Farmers’ Clubs.

Applications will be judged by a panel involving representatives from farming, agronomy, drone operations and agricultural contracting.

Further details on the scholarship, upcoming regional demo dates, and how to apply are available on the AutoSpray Systems website.